Princess to Princess: Unlikely Allies
by Blastos X4
Summary: This is the slightly dark story of two princesses from two different, yet oddly connected worlds. Purely a Mario and Zelda crossover. Part one of three. Plenty of underappreciated characters here. This part is now finished.
1. Fall of Peach

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Nintendo-made characters, places, objects, etc. within this story._

**Fall of Peach**

It was a tense day for the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. Today was the day that she would present her State of the Kingdom Address. Though she had done this numerous times before, she always got nervous on the day of the speech. She was doing a last minute practice round in her private area upstairs to the three people most important to her. They were Toad, Toadsworth, and her grandmother. While she read, a few handmaidens brushed her hair and straightened her dress with painstaking attention to detail. Soon, the green-clad Minister cracked the door open.

"Princess," he said gently, rubbing his white mustache. "The Chancellor is just about to finish."

"Thank you," she replied. "I'll be out in a moment." He nodded and closed the door. She sighed as she looked at her speech.

"Oh, don't be so nervous, dear," said her grandmother.

"I just don't like how I worded the part about raising taxes. It seems so heartless, especially after that less than perfect vacation on Delfino Isle. And then, there was that situation in Beanbean Kingdom…"

"I'm sure the Mushroom people will understand," Toad said optimistically. "Taxes haven't been raised ever since Mario first arrived."

"Yes, you mustn't trifle over the facts of life," Toadsworth said, walking to the door with his cane. "Taxation is a necessary part of the government. Now, now; you've no time to trouble over this any longer."

"Thank you for the encouragement," she said sweetly, walking to the door.

"And without further ado," said the Chancellor, who looked like a slightly younger version of the Minister, "I present Her Highness, Princess Peach Toadstool." The lobby, filled with Toads, a few Dryites, and a small number of Bumpty penguins from Shiver City burst into cheering and applause for their beloved princess. She stepped through the double doors and took her place behind the altar.

"Ahem. I am here today to speak with everyone about the current state of our great kingdom. Despite almost regular attacks by the Koopa Clan, the Mushroom Kingdom is thriving. Poverty is almost nonexistent and our crime rate is equally so, only spiking when Bowser makes his attack. However, there remains one problem that persists even to this day. This past year, I was told that there is a serious pollution problem, specifically in Toad Town Tunnels. I'm afraid that the costs of cleaning the surprisingly filthy sewers have been projected to exceed…5 million coins. In any other land, this wouldn't be such a problem, but because of Bowser's persistent attacks, there is a drain on our treasury. So…I have no choice but to raise taxes…" Suddenly a trio of black Ninjis burst through the window, startling everyone. The star-shaped ninjas wasted no time in sprinting up the railing of the stairs and to Peach. Before anyone could stop them, they tossed a net on her, swept her up, and carried her out of the window from whence they came.

"Not again!" she cried as she was carried a short distance away from the castle. Fortunately for her, spear-wielding guards had been alerted and quickly surrounded the Ninji before they could get any farther.

"Release the Princess," the lead soldier commanded. One of the Ninji took out a bubbling potion and threw it to the ground. A red door appeared in a puff of smoke. They opened it and ran through, quickly closing the door behind them. The soldiers reached the door just as it disappeared in another puff of smoke.

"They got away," the leader said shamefully. "We have to get her back. One of you, get Mario."

Peach found herself tied up and locked away in yet another prison. This one was in a place she had been to before: the Dark Land. The walls were the usual grey stone, the carpet was the usual drab red, and the torches were either blue or red as usual. She was pretty much used to the whole routine by now. Next, she expected Bowser to walk through the door any second now and gloat for a few minutes. Sure enough, the King of the Koopas stomped right through the huge double doors and stood in front of her cage. He was quieter than usual, only staring at her with his fiery red eyes.

"What's the matter, Bowser?" Peach taunted irritably. "Did you run out of ways to say Mario will never rescue me? Why do you even try anymore? You know he'll come here like always and…"

"My dear Peach," he growled with his usual air of arrogance. "That's exactly what I'm counting on."

"Why? You know he'll trounce you and your minions just like always."

"You see, Peachy," he said, beginning to pace across the floor, "Mario and I have been at it for a long time. Ever since he first came on the scene, I've never been able to beat him or his friends. After I was beaten on Corona Mountain, a few things dawned on me. First, I realized that the source of my problems is Mario." Despite the obviousness of his statement, Bowser had a look of grim seriousness, something not often seen. "No matter what nasty little scheme I have, he always comes along and screws it up! No matter how many times I try, he always thwarts my plan…! But not this time."

"Oh, please!" Peach huffed. "That's what you always say. You'll never marry me and have my kingdom because Mario will always be there to stop you!"

"That brings me to the other thing I realized," he said, stopping in front of her and staring again. "For about the same time that Mario's been around, I've been trying to take your kingdom through marriage. But of course, you just can't have a wedding with Mario around. And no matter how much I try, no matter how _nice_ I try to be, you'll never accept my hand."

"So, you _have_ been thinking," she said, slightly impressed.

"With all that stuff in mind, I've come to two conclusions. Number one, get rid of Mario. That's the most obvious one. But the second came as shock of cold logic to me. I realized that I wouldn't only have to get rid of him…but you as well." Peach's eyes widened and she was at a loss for words. She stepped away from the bars, where Bowser stood enjoying her fright.

"But…"

"Once Mario arrives, you can consider yourself dumped," he snorted. "You'll make a nice dessert."

"Sir!" cried a Koopatrol, wearing standard black armor and a spiked shell. "The Mario Brothers are knocking us down like dominoes. We won't be able to hold them off…"

"Let them come," Bowser said, opening the cell door and grabbing the speechless princess. Bowser carried her out a secret door built into the wall.

Fire Mario and Cape Luigi arrived at the flat rooftop of the castle where Bowser was waiting. The sky was black like it always was in the Dark Land, except for the occasional lighting strikes on the horizon.

"Where's Peach?" Luigi called out to the Koopa King. The turtle dragon nodded to the edge of the roof, where a peg held onto a peace of rope that went over the edge.

"Mario! Luigi!" a shrill voice screamed as thunder could be heard in the sky.

"You fiend!" Luigi sneered.

"I'm a little surprised to see brother number two here," Bowser growled with a contemptuous smile. "Got tired of hiding under the bed, huh?" Mario threw a fireball that Bowser made no attempt to dodge it. Instead, he smacked it out of the way.

"I hope you've said your goodbyes," Bowser growled. He blew a cloud of flame that the brothers managed to dodge. Mario distracted him with fireballs while Luigi flew up into the air and over the edge to help Peach.

"Princess, are you alright?" he asked, flying her up to the roof and untying her.

"We have to get away from that monster," Peach said, shaken. Mario was knocked away by Bowser's tail as he tried to circle around him, negating his fire element. Luigi immediately took off, flying his fist straight at Bowser's face. Bowser caught the punch and swung him around in the air before tossing him into the hard roof surface. Just as Luigi's cape disappeared, Bowser blew a jet of flame into him. Luigi ran wildly around the rooftop, yelling until the flames went out. As Bowser laughed in amusement, Mario suddenly stomped on his head.

"That will be the last time you ever do that!" Bowser roared, slashing at Mario, missing by inches. He began to charge after the red plumber, who ran towards the edge of the roof. At the last moment, Mario turned around and somersaulted over and behind Bowser. Grabbing his tail, he off-balanced the giant Koopa and began to swing him around.

"Here we go!" Mario shouted as he swung Bowser around faster and faster. When he let go, Bowser sailed off the rooftop and far below. There was a large crash a few seconds later. "So long, eh, Bowser?"

"Whew, that oughta put him in traction for a while," Luigi said, wiping his brow. There was a snarl from below.

"Oh, no," Peach whispered. Bowser leapt from the ground up to above the roof and landed with another crash. Large cracks appeared all over the roof.

"You didn't think I'd go down that easily, did you?" Bowser cackled. "You're the ones that're taking the fall." After finishing his statement, he began to stomp on the roof, causing more and more cracks. As the castle began to rumble, he leapt off the edge. He rose once more in his Koopa Clown Car, the propeller-driven hovercraft with a clown face. The castle began to crumble as the three left on the roof ran back inside in a desperate attempt to escape. A few moments later the castle collapsed in a cloud of dust and debris. Only Mario and Peach dug out of the rubble. Before they could even think about Luigi, Bowser landed in front of them and blew another jet of fire. The debris provided just enough shielding for them to scamper away.

"Luigi!" they called out for the lost plumber.

"One down, two to go," Bowser spoke malevolently, smashing through the remains of his castle.

"You would never destroy your own castle," Peach said. "You're more powerful than usual… What's happened to you? Don't you even care about your followers?" He roared again and blew a jet of flame, this one actually singing them a bit. He had never hurt her before. Now she feared that Bowser was serious about getting rid of them. They ran through the rubble until they reached the edge of the cliff. Down below, there was a valley, with a river running through.

"Too far to jump," Peach said. Mario nodded in agreement.

"Just give up. There's nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Just hold still and let the flames take care of everything." Mario turned around defiantly to face him.

"You touch-a da Princess and I break-a you face-a," Mario shook his fist angrily, lapsing into his dialect as he always did when he got excited. As Bowser continued to approach, Mario ran for him and leapt to do a flying punch. Bowser took the hit painlessly in the face and body slammed him immediately afterward. Then he kicked the plumber aside and prepared to fry Peach.

"This isn't like you," she cried, stepping back carefully as she neared the cliff's edge. " Why do you want to hurt me? Don't you love me anymore?" She was forced to jumped over the edge of the cliff just in time to miss the wall of flames and hung onto ledge by one hand. "Mario! Help me!" Mario dived into Bowser and began to knock him back with a series of punches and kicks.

"Yah, wah, hoo!" he yelled, knocking Bowser back with two punches and a kick. He quickly ran to help Peach. "I've got you, Peach!" Just before he could grab her hand, Bowser stomped the ground once again, causing tremors throughout the cliff. Peach's grip slipped just before Mario could grab onto her.

"Mario!" Peach cried as she plummeted down the cliff.

"Peach!" Mario cried, stretching out his hand in futility.

"Too bad, so sad," Bowser said, grabbing Mario by the head and lifting him up and slammed him down, holding him down with his foot. "I've got something special in store for you." He somehow ripped open a black portal out of thin air and kicked Mario through it. "Finally, I'm rid of those stupid Mario Brothers and that useless princess. Now to start my war strategy. Why just take the Mushroom Kingdom when I can have the world! Bwa ha ha ha! Man, I've always wanted to say that!" As he laughed, a red aura briefly surrounded him. He hopped into his Clown Car and flew off into the distance.

"Oh, ow," a voice said from the rubble. "What happened?" Luigi climbed out of the debris, scratched up and dizzy. "Is anyone there? Mario? Peach? Anyone? Hello?" When he received no answer, he began to search the rubble for his friends. Finding nothing but the bodies of Bowser's minions, he looked over the cliff. "Nah. They probably just forgot me like they always do." He then began the long walk home.


	2. Zelda's Exile

**Zelda's Exile**

The Princess of Hyrule sat on the steps in front of the grass of her private courtyard. She adjusted her golden jewelry agitatedly as she pondered her troubled thoughts. It was another beautiful day, but she couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding. She had been having strange dreams for a few days, just as she had seven years ago when Ganondorf was around. They always involved strange beings, many of which she had never seen before. But these dreams weren't as clear as the ones from before.

Meanwhile, Link and Impa were just outside the courtyard. Link was delivering milk from Lon Lon Ranch. He was dressed in his usual Kokiri Tunic, with his Gilded Sword sheathed on his back.

"Good afternoon, Link," Impa greeted him. "Have you come to see Zelda?"

"Yeah, but first I wanted to talk to you," he said nervously, putting down his sack for a moment. "I'm having a bit of a problem, you see, so I was hoping you could help.

"I'm all ears," she said, smiling warmly.

"Well, I have these friends," he said, speaking slowly to use the right words. "For the most part I've been friends with each person ever since I left the forest. Even after I left Hyrule for a while, when I came back they all considered me a friend."

"Go on."

"I'll put this the best way I can… I think some of them are starting to…have feelings for me."

"Girl problems, eh?"

"Uh, yeah…It's just weird because they never acted that way before. Back when we were kids, we were just friends and that's it. But now, I've seen so many signs that they're coming onto me, I just wonder how I missed them before."

"Are you sure you aren't misinterpreting them?"

"You tell me," he said, shaking his head. "Saria's been taking me on long, quiet walks in the forest. Malon wants me to move onto the farm _and_ sleep in her room. And Ruto! She's not only getting hotter…uh prettier, but nicer, too…Really nice, actually. I like all of them, but I don't know if I…love them… Have you ever been in love?"

"I have," Impa said simply, amused by the teenager's rant. He had become much more talkative than when she had first met him years ago, yet he still carried a humble air about him.

"Well, can you give me some advice?" Link asked, folding his arms.

"Hmm. You're still young, so don't worry about them too much. Just wait until you know how you truly feel."

"Okay, thanks," he said, not really satisfied with her answer.

"Zelda, someone's here to see you," Impa said, standing at the entrance. Link appeared around the corner, smiling as he lugged the sack of Lon Lon Milk.

"Hey, Zel," he greeted, putting down the sack.

"Oh, hello, Link," she said, coming out of her thoughts. "What brings you here, today?"

"Just going on the milk route, so I thought I'd stop by. How's everything going with you?"

"…Fine," Zelda said hesitantly. "How have you been doing?"

"Pretty good, actually. The money's starting to build up. The only problem is what to do with it."

"You could always move into town," she said quietly.

When their eyes met, Zelda blushed and Link smiled nervously, now well aware of her feelings toward him. Before either one could say anything, a guard sprinted into the courtyard with Impa.

"Your highness, we must get you to safety at once!" he said quickly.

"The kingdom is under attack," Impa added. "They're approaching the castle, now. Both of you, come with me." While the guard went back to his fellow guards, the others ran through the gardens and into the castle, where guards were scattering to their posts. Everyone was in a panic. Servants were running and screaming everywhere, while guards began to arm themselves.

"Who's attacking?" Link asked, running alongside them as they moved through various rooms.

"An army of monsters," Impa replied, leading the way. "We don't know who their leader is."

"Where are we going?" Zelda asked, having trouble running in her dress.

"To the inner chambers," Impa said, taking out a key. "Your father should be waiting for us there." Just as they reached a room with a large metal door, the entire castle shook. "Whatever that was probably breached the wall. We have to hurry." Before they could reach the door, an adjacent wall burst into the middle of the room, blocking them completely. A trio of brutish, dog-faced Moblins stomped into the room. The largest one had a huge club, while the other two carried long, sharp spears.

"Attack!" the club wielding one roared, slamming his weapon down. The entire room shook from the strike. The two flanking Moblins charged forth. Impa leapt onto the back of one of them and bloodily cut its throat with the large knife she always wore on her back. Link and Zelda sidestepped the other one. When it turned to attack Zelda, Link's stab in the back put it down quickly. The last Moblin with the club slammed it hard on the ground creating a shockwave that streaked across the room and busted through a wall. No one dared to get close to it. Instead, Impa flung her knife into its face. It fell to the ground with a crash. A group of Moblins and the warrior skeletons, Stalfos, ran in through the hole in the wall and saw them.

"We have to go!" Impa yelled, yanking her knife out of the Moblin's bloody face. She smashed a Deku nut down onto the stone floor, creating a blinding flash and small puff of smoke. The flash blinded the monsters long enough for the Hylians and Sheikah to escape into another room. Again, the castle shook violently. Monsters had infiltrated the castle and were engaged in mini battles with guards everywhere. Impa, Zelda, and Link avoided them as best they could and turned down a corridor. They skidded to a halt and ran the other way when they saw Iron Knuckles demolishing everything and anyone in their path. The castle rumbled once again as the ceiling collapsed in the room behind them.

"I think we'd better get out of here," Link said, smacking away a stray Keese bat.

"We can't leave," Zelda yelled. "What about Father?"

"He's right, Zelda," Impa said, peeking around a corner. "It's not safe here anymore. Your father hired me for your protection. Looking for him would only put your safety at risk. Besides, he has his own bodyguards…"

"What's the plan?" Link asked.

"I was hoping we'd go through this room to get to the horse stalls," Impa said worriedly. "But the room is filled with monsters."

"I'll stall them, while you run through," Link said, ready to run into the room.

"Link, wait!" Zelda called, stopping him.

"What is it?"

"I…I just wanted to tell you…I… Just be careful, ok?" she said, unsatisfied with what came out of her mouth. He nodded with a smile before charging into the room with his Gilded Sword. He ran a Moblin through and parried a strike from a Stalfos. He jumped back and did a quick spin slash that knocked many of the monsters back.

"Go, now!" Link yelled. Impa and Zelda jogged through the room and out the door. The monsters made sure that Link wouldn't get away so easily by. He let out a battle cry as he lunged into a reptilian Lizalfos warrior, spilling its guts across the floor. A Stalfos took the opportunity to slash him in the back. His sheath softened the blow, but he didn't have a shield to adequately guard with. Link began a furious attack on the nearest opponents, slashing repeatedly, regardless of whether their guard was up or not. Just as a pair of Stalfos leapt forward to slash his back, he spun in another circle of magical energy from his blade. The Stalfos flinched from the strike and hopped back, only to leap back with countering lunges. Link was knocked down by the cutting blows and began to frantically roll away from quick stabs at him. He put himself against a wall and began to cast a spell. A blue light surrounded him and a transparent crystal of energy formed around him. Unexpectedly, the monsters intelligently stood back.

"Getting desperate, kid?" a familiar voice spoke tauntingly. "I guess that's to be expected when you don't have any other weapons."

"Ganondorf?" Link gasped. "It can't be… You were sealed away in the Sacred Realm." The monsters parted away from a doorway, and there stood Ganondorf in his black armor with his large, dark broadsword.

"Ah, so it's true. You really did travel into the future to defeat me." Then Ganondorf chuckled, "Well sorry, kid. But you never defeated me in this timeline. I just disappeared for a while; making plans with you in mind. I'd say they're working."

"I wouldn't!" Link said, lunging at the Gerudo King, who parried with his own sword.

"I've heard all about your adventures as the Hero of Time," Ganondorf said snidely. I'm making sure that neither you nor the sages get in my way!" He slammed his sword into Link's blade, knocking the Hylian over. Then, he charged a ball of energy and hurled it into Link.

"Eyaah!" Link cried as the force of the blast tumbled him across the floor. Fortunately, his Nayru's Love spell prevented him from actual harm. The monsters ganged up on him and repeatedly beat on him with their weapons. A dome of fire engulfed them all, incinerating all but the shield-wielding Stalfos and Ganondorf. Link rose out of the ashes, his energy shield gone.

"Not too shabby," Ganondorf said, slightly impressed. "It's too bad you're still no match for me." Link replied by charging at him, but was tackled to the ground by a monstrous, disembodied hand. It grasped him tightly, but was assisted by other disembodied hands when he began to break free. Soon, all that could be seen was a mass of hands and Link twirling his sword around harmlessly. A Stalfos walked up to his arm and took the Gilded Sword, tossing it behind it carelessly. A dark portal opened up and the hands carried Link inside. Ganondorf noted that the Triforce of Courage had not awakened in Link as he was told.

"We'll keep him in there until his Triforce piece appears," Ganondorf said. "Now, where is that brat of a princess?"

* * *

During their escape, Zelda and Impa only encountered more monsters. There was no way for them to get out of town through the main gate, with monsters outnumbering the guards. They rode their horses towards the Temple of Time, while two growling Moblins chased them. When they reached the temple grounds, purple Octoroks popped out of the reflecting pool. They futilely spat rocks at the women, who hopped of their horses and ran into the Temple of Time, closing the heavy doors behind them.

"We must get you to safety," Impa said worriedly. "Not even this temple will be secure near an army like that."

"Where should we go?" Zelda asked. There was a weird sound that echoed throughout the room. Impa held her knife tightly; ready to strike down anything that attacked them. Then, she noticed Zelda's shadow becoming larger as the noise became louder. She shoved Zelda out of the way and was grasped by an oversized hand from above.

"Wallmasters!" Impa grunted. "Zelda, run! Use all that I've taught you." The hand clutching Impa disappeared along with her. Zelda quickly materialized her harp and began to play a minuet, ignoring the sound of another Wallmaster falling towards her. Once the tune was complete, she disappeared in a cloud of green sparkles just before the hand fell where she had stood. It snapped its fingers in frustration and leapt back up to the ceiling.

Zelda reappeared in the Sacred Forest Meadow before the Forest Temple. She could already hear cries of fear and roars of monsters from the forest. She raised her hands and a flurry of white sparkles covered her. When they dissipated, there stood a ninja-like figure in blue tights, grey bandages and cloth over the head and face, and the insignia of the Sheikah, the eye of truth.

"Smoke," Zelda turned Sheik said. "Cries of fairy folk… There must be something I can do." Sheik sprinted away from the temple, down the stone stairway, and into a miniature maze. The Sheikah leapt upon the walls of the maze and looked down into the corridors where Moblins wandered guardedly.

"I'm hungry," one of the Moblins growled to another. "Where's a Kokiri kid when ya need one?"

"There's supposed to be a bunch of 'em somewhere in the forest," another Moblin said. "Master Ganon said there'd be a special green-haired one around here. Keep a look out for 'er." Sheik quietly moved along and spotted a plain, but curiously placed hole in the center of the maze, blocked off from the rest. He decided to investigate and jumped in. As soon as he landed at the bottom, he was relieved to find a fountain full of pink fairies. He walked into the center of the fountain and the fairies began to circle around him gracefully. If ever there were a safe place, this would definitely be one. At least that's what he thought until he heard an impish cackle.

"Hahahahaha!" The laugh came from the entrance. A being of shadow and rags floated down, carrying a lantern. It was joined by a number of other Poes. The one in the lead twirled its lantern and aimed to smack Sheik with it. He easily dodged the ghost with a jump to the side and tossed three nearly invisible needles into it. The creature disintegrated in a puff of purple flames and dropped its lantern.

"Leave this place at once, creatures of shadow!" Sheik hissed. When the Poes began to advance, the fairies turned red and swarmed the Poes. Having never seen something like this before, Sheik stood back while the fairies blocked the Poes.

"Master Ganon wishes to meet the two of you," one of the ghosts rasped.

"Two?" Sheik questioned. A blast of energy from outside the whole scattered the Poes and fairies across the chamber.

"Yes, Sheik," Ganondorf said, floating in. "Or should I say Zelda, Sage of Time. I'm here for you and the Sage of Forest. There's no point in hiding any longer, little Saria." Sheik heard a whimper and looked behind himself to see a little green haired Kokiri girl crouching against the wall, out of Ganondorf's sight. She sighed and peeked around the corner at the evil man.

"How do you know my name? Who are you?" Saria asked fearfully.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken, Ganondorf," Sheik said. "I am not this Zelda you speak of. I am Sheik of the Sheikah."

"Really, Zelda," Ganondorf rolled his eyes. "Is that the best name you could come up with? I was really expecting something more impressive from you. That _somewhat _masculine incarnation you use is the only thing you've got going for you." With a wave of his hand, a dark aura overtook Sheik and Saria. Sheik winced and reverted back to Zelda's true form.

"Sage?" Saria cried. "Is that the new power that I felt…like Link said I would?"

"Very good, kid," Ganondorf said, opening another dark portal. "That power is the exact reason that I'm going to put you two into the World of Darkness along with the other sages and Link, while I rule all of Hyrule." Ganondorf noticed that Zelda's Triforce insignia did not show up at all. He frowned, but went with the same plan he had for Link.

"Link!" the two gasped, as the Ganondorf moved them towards the portal. Zelda felt no more powerful than usual, but Saria could feel the energy inside her beg to be used.

"If I really am the Sage of Forest," she said, "then maybe I can stop you!" A green aura overtook her and she broke free of his magic.

"No sage can contend with my Power!" he yelled, showing off the glowing Triforce on the back of his fist. He sent out another wave of dark energy that clashed with hers. Though she resisted as best she could, she was blown into the wall and fell to the ground.

"You monster!" Zelda screamed as Ganondorf's magic seemed to be tightening its hold on her. "You'll never get away with this!"

"Link's waiting for you inside," Ganondorf smiled. "You can talk to him about that shortly. She was shocked to hear these words.

"No!" Saria yelled, reaching out to the portal. Her aura spread to it just as Ganondorf tossed Zelda inside.

"Your power is nothing compared to mine," he said, picking up the wincing child by her hair. "Even if you did alter the portal, it's impossible for you to change the general destination from the Dark World." With that, Ganondorf reclaimed the portal and tossed the Forest Sage inside.


	3. The Lost Princess

**The Lost Princess**

Peach awakened groggily at the bank of a creek in the Dark Land. She looked at herself and found that her dress, though raggedy and torn in many places, was still wearable. She stood up and figured that she had been carried downstream after falling off the cliff. She looked around timidly, not knowing what to do. It was the first time that she was ever completely alone. In the past, she could at least depend on guards or a _harmless_ Bowser.

"Okay, Peach," she thought to herself. "You've been in plenty of situations before. You even traveled across the land with Mario…Mario." She wondered where he was and how he was doing. She snapped out of her thoughts and realized that she was really on her own. She would have to get back to the Mushroom Kingdom alone. Not far from the creek, there was a creepy-looking forest. She tried to remember her geography lessons. If she wasn't mistaken the creek was actually Cheep Cheep Creek. Realizing that, she quickly got away from the water after seeing the red fish of the lake's namesake randomly pop out of the water. "Alright, then that should be Weird Woods. And that'll lead me to the Koopa Badlands, which is just outside of my kingdom." Her morale recharged, Peach headed off into the Weird Woods.

It was indeed a very odd place, even more so than Forever Forest. Just about all the trees seemed to have faces. The plants seemed to be every color except green and brown. There were owls that stared at her, spinning their heads around endlessly. She took care to avoid the Swooper bats. She stopped at a neon pink bush when she heard talking. She looked through the bush and saw a trio of Goombas standing around an unconscious elf woman in clothing that was even more regal than Peach's.

"I found her, so I get to keep her!" one of the foul mushroom creatures yelled.

"You're already married, so she's mine!" another yelled.

"Would King Bowser even let us keep someone like this?" the third asked. "What if this is Princess Peach?"

"What Bowser don't know won't hurt him," the second Goomba replied. "Besides, I hear he's blacklisted Toadstool. He might've even already 'offed' her." The elf woman began to stir.

"Link…" she murmured.

"Link?" one of the Goombas said. "What's she talking about?"

"A Kink-link, maybe?" one of them suggested. "She don't look like she was bit by one."

One of the others sniffed her. "She doesn't smell like one either."

I wonder if she tastes like a Kink-link? Her eyes popped wide open when the Goomba licked her face. "Nope." She sat up and quickly scooted away from the small monsters.

"What are you? Where am I? Why did you lick my face?" She was frantic, her eyes searching for any familiar surroundings.

"Now, just calm down," one of the Goombas laughed. "We ain't gonna hurt you…as long as you come back home with me. I've always wanted an elf for a wife."

"I'll do no such thing, you little…whatever you are!" she screamed. She smacked the Goomba away and stood up.

"Get her!" The other two Goombas leapt at her, ready to sink their fangs into her or simply tackle her. One slammed into her head, while the other bit down into her wrist.

"Ah, get away from me!" she screamed, shaking her arm and kicking at the other Goomba. Just as the third Goomba was about to tackle her, Peach jumped on top of it, flattening it.

"I'm here to help," she said, stomping on the other Goomba. The elf managed to shake the other Goomba off of her arm. The Goomba decided it was best to flee, not wanting to be stomped to death.

"Thank you," the elf said. "What were those things?"

"You're welcome," Peach said, happy to help. "Those were Goombas, mushroom people corrupted through black magic. He might be back with others, so we should get going." The elf agreed and began to follow her through the woods. "Um…if you don't mind me asking, who are you? I've never seen an elf before."

"Elf? I'm not an elf. I'm a Hylian." Then she looked around cautiously and whispered, "My name is Zelda; Princess Zelda of Hyrule."

"That rings a bell, but I can't quite place it," Peach said. Then, she turned to her and curtsied, "I'm sorry. I forgot my manners. I am Princess Peach Toadstool of the Mushroom Kingdom."

"That sounds like something out of a children's story," Zelda said, raising an eyebrow. There was something familiar about Peach, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. "…This isn't a very nice kingdom. Just look at your dress."

"This isn't my kingdom," Peach said. "I was kidnapped and taken here by Bowser, the Koopa King. And this dress is what happens when you fall off a cliff and get washed downstream."

"That doesn't sound too pleasant," Zelda said, taking another look around. "Is this, by any chance, the Dark World."

"Not quite, but I have been to that horrible place before," Peach said. "This is the Dark Land, on the very outskirts of the Dark World. The real part of the Dark World is heavily guarded and protected by a magical force field of some sort."

"So, Saria's power must have been just enough to bring me here instead of the Dark World," Zelda muttered. "I hope she's okay."

"You mentioned a Link?" Peach said, trying to keep some form of conversation in this dreadful place.

"Oh, I did?" Zelda said, a little surprised. "Well, he's…a special friend of mine. We were separated a little before I was sent here."

"I was separated from my friends, too," Peach said somberly. "They came to save me like they always do…but this time…never mind." Zelda noticed the uncomfortable look on her face.

"How much farther until we reach your kingdom?"

"I'm not sure," Peach frowned. "It only took a few minutes for Bowser to fly me here in his Koopa Clown Car."

"Clown Car?" Zelda chuckled. "What manner of King is this Bowser?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure I know anymore," Peach said sadly. "He's plagued my kingdom for years, but he's always been more mean and nasty than outright cruel and evil. In fact, I'm pretty sure he's had a crush on me. But today…or tonight…whatever time of day it is, he…he tried to kill me."

"Is your kingdom really so secure if this is such a common occurrence?" Zelda asked.

"We have a small army and guards and the like, but his forces are much stronger. Furthermore, he's pretty imaginative when it comes to kidnapping me. Today was the most straightforward kidnapping to date though. He just sent his Ninji in during my speech and whisked me away."

"You don't seem terribly bothered about being kidnapped," Zelda said.

"It's happened so often that until recently, it was just an annoyance," Peach smiled slightly. "And every time, Mario would save me. He and his brother Luigi came to save me earlier today, but everything went wrong." By this time, the forest had become less dark, but filled with brighter colors. Various plants were rainbow colored and polka dotted. The two walked into a patch of red and white polka dotted plants. Peach suddenly signaled for silence.

"What is it?" Zelda whispered.

"Piranha Plants," Peach whispered, stepping slowly. "They're carnivorous plants with sharp teeth. We're surrounded by them right now, but they seem to be asleep. Just don't make too much noise and we'll be fine.

"There they are!" said a Koopa Troopa. His troop rushed into the clearing.

"Run!" Peach yelled.

"This is not my running dress!" Zelda yelled, trying to keep up. The polka dotted plants awakened and began to snap their jaws in the air. A few Koopas were nabbed by the plants and devoured.

"Neither are my heels!" Peach replied, leading her out of the forest. A Koopa shell skidded across the ground from behind them and knocked down Zelda. Peach helped her up and pulled her along into the dry landscape. It was nighttime, but the sky was filled with unhappy looking clouds. The Koopas skidded ahead of the pair and surrounded them.

"We've got you now, Princess…and elf lady, I guess," the leader announced. "If you give up, I can promise you a quick demise…And I guess the elf goes back to King Bowser."

"I am not an elf!" Zelda shouted.

"These are Koopas," Peach said. "Oh, dear… We're surrounded."

"We'll have to fight," Zelda said.

"Attack!" the Koopa leader ordered. They all retracted into their shells and began to spin in place, ready to skid into them.

"Get close to me," Zelda said, pulling Peach towards herself. As the shells rocketed toward them, Zelda spun herself and Peach in place and emitted a blue shield of energy that bounced all the Koopas away. They came out of their shells and ran back up to the women.

"You know magic?" Peach asked. Zelda nodded and tried to think of a way to get rid of these turtles. "The best way to stop a Koopa is to stomp it."

"…I'm more of a defensive fighter. You stomp them."

"But I don't think I can jump that well," Peach said doubtfully.

"You'll never know until you try." Peach nodded and ran up to the nearest Koopa, hoping to jump on it. Instead, she tripped on her raggedy dress and ended up running into it hard enough to knock the turtle out of its shell. Then she kicked the shell into the nearly naked creature, instantly knocking it out. When other Koopas again sped toward Zelda, she kicked in a graceful spin, knocking them all out of their shells. When one dared to hop back into its shell, she sent a small flame at it that ignited with a sweep of the hand.

"We'd better get backup," said a Koopa in his underwear, retreating with the others.

"We must get to the kingdom," Zelda said hurriedly. "As weak as they were, we may have trouble if they come back with reinforcements."

"If we keep going south across this wasteland, we'll reach my castle," Peach assured her. "It's in the northern part of the Mushroom Kingdom. It's a long walk, but if we keep a steady pace, we should be there in about an hour."

"What choice do we have?" Zelda sighed. They began their long trek across the Koopa Badlands. Aside from the occasional encounters with Pokey cacti and living twisters, the walk was cold and uneventful. As they noticed the landscape becoming less flat and more green, a thought came to Zelda, who shivered in the starless night.

"It's been an awfully long time since those…er…Koopas fled for reinforcements."

"Really? I guess they just forgot about us," Peach replied.

"Please tell me she's not that naïve," Zelda thought silently.

"We're almost there," Peach said, seeing familiar surroundings. "There's the castle in the distance! Can you see it?"

"I think so," Zelda said, seeing a tall structure on the horizon. A short while later, they were walking past Mario's Pipe House. Zelda decided not to comment on the peculiar architectural decisions.

"Peach?" a familiar voice called. Luigi was peeking outside the door. Realizing it was Peach, he ran to her.

"Luigi, you're okay!" she squealed, hugging him. "Where's Mario?"

"I thought he came back with you," the green plumber said, blushing since she had never hugged him before. "I only got back a few minutes ago, so I figured that if he wasn't at home, he was at the castle."

"He's not back?" Peach said, feeling her heart sink. "But…he has to be back!"

"Calm down, Princess," he said. "You should go home for now. Everyone's worried sick about you. If anything, Mario's probably tracking you back here. You'll see."

"If you say so…" she said unsurely.

"By the way…um, who is she?" he asked, just now noticing the Hylian.

"Oh, I almost forgot. This is Prin…"

"Not so loud," Zelda whispered harshly. "I have reason to believe that someone is after me."

"Sorry," Peach whispered. "She's Zelda, the Princess of Hyrule."

"Never heard of a place around here like that," Luigi shrugged. "But I wouldn't be surprised if I ran across a kingdom of elves someday. Anyway, you should get to the castle soon. You look like a mess."

"Alright," Peach said. "Just be sure to tell me the moment you find Mario, okay?"

"You got it," he said, walking back inside. Zelda had been staring at Luigi, as if she were trying to remember something. Peach began her walk to the castle when she noticed that Zelda wasn't following.

"What's the matter? Aren't you coming?"

"I don't think that's a very good idea," Zelda replied, getting a serious look in her eye. "If someone really is after me in this world, I'd rather that they not notice a lone 'elf,' as you people put it, walking around town."

"Where will you go?"

"Into the shadows," Zelda said. "I'll be following you, since I have nowhere else to go, but only in secret. It's the only way that I can feel relatively safe."

"No one in the Mushroom Kingdom is going to come and get you," Peach giggled. "Toad Town is a safe place full of friendly people."

"No matter how much truth there may be to that statement, I simply cannot take the risk. I'll be keeping an eye on you." She took a step back and disappeared in a green swirl of blinding light. Once Peach was sure that Zelda was nowhere to be seen, she sighed and walked into Toad Town. It was a quiet night, but all the lights were on. Not a single person was outside. Peach went unnoticed until she walked onto the castle grounds. The two guards that saw her ran up to her quickly.

"I'm back," she said, smiling weakly.

"It's a relief to have you back, your majesty," one bowed.

"That's one less thing to worry about," the other sighed.

"Is something wrong?" Peach asked, noticing that they weren't as jovial about her return as they usually were.

"Of course; you haven't heard," one guard reminded himself. "Please, go inside and speak to your advisors as soon as possible." She stepped through the doors and saw that many of the lights had been dimmed. She walked through the empty lobby and into a room that was cracked open, with the sound and light of a television inside. Once she went inside, she saw a large crowd of maids, butlers, guards, and just about anyone else who worked in the castle, all watching the television. On it, Bowser was speaking.

"It's my time to shine," he bellowed. "It may have taken me a few stinkin' years, but the world will be mine. I'll rule over everything; the Koopa Kingdom will spread across this dirt ball, and I'll crush anyone who gets in my way…just like I crushed Mario. And without that stupid plumber, it's Game Over people! Just look at a sample of what I can do." Then the images switched to pictures of destruction. Rose Town was in flames, along with the rest of the adjacent Forest Maze. Seaside Town was flooded and full of man-eating creatures, both in and out of the water.

"Bowser…how could you?" Peach gasped.


	4. Threat on the Horizon

**Threat on the Horizon**

Zelda slept soundly atop one of the bookcases in the castle's library. She slept so well, in fact, that she didn't notice the crowd of Toads gathering at the bottom of the bookcase to investigate the gentle snoring. Soon enough, a few guards wielding spears walked in.

"Does anyone know what's up there?" one guard whispered.

"No idea," one of the servants said.

"What's going on?" Luigi whispered, walking into the room.

"Someone's sleeping on the bookcase," Toad whispered. "Could you do your thing and check it out?"

Luigi gulped and nodded. He took a few steps back and jumped high toward the bookcase, grabbing onto the edge. After pulling himself up, he could see Zelda lying there. "Don't worry, guys. It's nothing to worry about."

"What is it?" one of the asked.

"Uh…Zelda," he said. When he saw her begin to stir, he spoke to her directly. "Zelda…Wakey, wakey." When she opened her eyes and saw him standing in front of her, she was startled and fell off the bookcase, crashing below.

"So much for keeping a secret," she muttered, shaking off the sleep as the mushroom people surrounded her in awe.

"She looks like…an elf princess," Toad said.

"What are you doing here?" one of the guards demanded. "And who are you?"

"Whoa," Luigi said, hopping down in front of the guard. "It's okay. This is Princess Zelda, from some place called Hyrule. She came back here with Princess Peach."

"What kind of princess goes so far away from home without any escort and ends up sleeping on top of a bookshelf?" the guard asked.

"What kind of guard lets the princess get kidnapped by the same person on a regular basis?" Zelda retorted.

"…That's besides the point!" the guard snapped back.

"Calm down," the other guard said. "We've got more important things to worry about." With that, the guards left the room.

"So, what were you doing sleeping up there?" Luigi asked.

"Failing to remain a secret," Zelda sighed.

"Would you like to see the Princess?" Toad suggested. "She should be wide awake by now."

"Very well," Zelda agreed, following him out of the library. Toad led her to the dining room and found Peach eating breakfast with her grandmother, Toadsworth, the Chancellor, and the Minister. There were a couple of guards standing at the door.

"Oh, good morning Zelda," Peach greeted, with surprise in her voice. "I want you to meet my grandmother, the Chancellor, the Minister, and Toadsworth.

"So, you're the girl the Lady has told us about," Toadsworth said.

"We found her sleeping on top of a bookcase in the library," Toad chuckled.

"What was she doing up there?" the Chancellor asked. "She could have slept in a guest room."

"Oh, don't mind them, dear," Peach's grandmother said. "Have a seat. You must be hungry after going such a long way."

"Thank you," Zelda said, taking a seat. She noticed that Peach looked remarkably different from everyone else. Whereas everyone else was short, beady-eyed, and wearing mushroom-like caps, Peach was about the same height as Zelda, wide-eyed, and wearing a small crown that didn't cover her ears or even the top of her head. It was at that point that Zelda realized that Peach was also the only other person in the room with a visible nose! She quickly moved her thoughts to something more relevant. "I've heard about what Bowser has done. Surely, he'll come here. What do you plan to do?" Everyone became quiet.

"The truth is," the Chancellor began, "we haven't the military experience nor strength to deal with such a threat. This is a new pattern for Bowser. He usually just takes the princess and leaves."

"Talk to your generals!" Zelda exclaimed. "They'll know what to…"

"We don't have any," the Chancellor said. "The Mushroom Kingdom hasn't been to war since the princess was a small girl."

Zelda sighed. Their extended peacetime was admirable, but she felt they should have kept up a military. "You can't just wait here and let those monsters trample your kingdom," Zelda said. "Don't you have any allies?"

"Our allies are in the same condition as us," the Minister said quietly. "None of us would stand a chance without Mario."

"So you're giving up?" Zelda said, shocked.

"Wait!" Peach exclaimed, standing up. "I know who might be able to help us."

"Well, don't keep us waiting," Toadsworth said impatiently.

"Our nearest allies are the peaceful Bob-ombs," Peach said. "Don't you remember?"

"Oh my, she's right!" Toadsworth said excitedly. "They've been fending off the Koopas for years."

"Bob-ombs?" Zelda questioned.

"Mechanical, walking, talking bombs," Peach clarified.

"Bowser has many of in his own army, but every little bit helps," the Minister said optimistically.

"What about those delightful Yoshis?" Peach's grandmother spoke up. "They've seemed to be very reliable over the years."

"Are you getting all of this, Toad?" the Chancellor asked, prompting the mushroom retainer to take out a notepad and begin writing.

"What are Yoshis?" Zelda asked, once again lost.

"Friendly dinosaurs that have big appetites," Peach answered.

"Like the Piranha Plants?" Zelda asked worriedly.

"Kind of," Peach giggled. "Oh, I just remembered! We could also contact Nimbus Land. They aren't too far off. I'm sure Mallow will be glad to help us. In fact, could someone put him on the phone right away?"

"Yes, ma'am," Toad said loyally, as he scampered out of the room.

"Now that you have some possible allies, do you have any battle strategies?" Zelda asked. Once again, everyone was at a loss. "Don't your guards know anything along those lines?" Everyone looked to the stoical guards at the door.

"How about you, Gus T.," the Minister asked the one on the left in a silver chest plate and cloak.

"Um, sir?" the guard said nervously. "I don't know much in the art of war. Our instructors only taught us to fight bravely and run like the wind when we don't stand a chance."

"How about you, then, Draf T.?" the Minister said to the other as Zelda shook her head in disgust.

"Uh, set up a base, predict the approach of the enemy, don't let them surround you…and uh…"

"Go on," the Minister said.

"I don't know!" Draf T. exclaimed. "I've never fought anyone before! The Mario Brothers were always there to do the fighting. Honestly, I think we should run for our lives."

"That's the sort of attitude that gets your princess kidnapped so often," Zelda scolded. "And from what I've seen and heard, this Bowser no longer has any interest in her life. Just where would you run to?"

"Anywhere," the guard muttered.

"It's okay," Peach consoled him. "Zelda, you have to understand; we've never had a situation like this before. This is the first time that people's lives have ever been at stake…at least under my rule anyway… so it's no wonder that what little military we have is going to be a little…panicky."

"I understand that," Zelda sighed. "And I'm sorry if I seem a bit intruding and abrasive, but panicking never won a war."

"And what would a young lady like you know about war?" Toadsworth asked. "You certainly don't have the air of a veteran."

"You're right," Zelda admitted. "I've never been in a war before. However, I have received both strategy and combat training, should a war ever spring up in my land. I'm no expert, perhaps not even a novice, but it seems that I know more than everyone in this castle."

"I believe that we have found our general," Toadsworth smiled.

"What?" everyone said.

"She said it herself," he said. "Not a single person in this entire kingdom, let alone this castle, has the knowledge of war that we would need to fend off the Koopa King and his army."

"But what about the Master at the Dojo?" the Minister suggested. "He is skilled in the martial arts and would seem to be more…"

"He is a skilled fighter, yes," Toadsworth interrupted. "However, he has always said himself that _it takes a leader to direct a fighter_. Though you are completely free and wise to ask him to be our general, I believe he would be more appropriate as a teacher and officer. What do you think, Chancellor?"

"The decision is not mine," the Chancellor said. "The decision lies in the hands of these two young monarchs."

"I am deeply flattered," Zelda said graciously, "but shouldn't the decision be up to the king and or queen?" Everyone suddenly got uncomfortable looks on their faces.

"Ixnay on the Ingkay," Gus T. muttered.

"Zelda," Peach said, standing in front of her. "As the Princess and sovereign ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, I ask for your aid in our time of need. Would you accept the proposed position of Supreme Commander of the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"Supreme Commander!" Zelda was taken aback. "I think you're placing too much faith in me."

"Everyone!" Toad called out franticly.

"What is it, Toad?" the Minister said. "We are in the middle of something."

"It's Nimbus Land. I called them on the phone just as I was asked."

"What is a phone?" Zelda inquired. Everyone ignored her question and let Toad continue.

"They're under attack!" Toad exclaimed. "Bowser's forces have already broken into the castle. It's a massacre!"

"Zelda, please!" Peach said, immediately dropping to her knees. Zelda was taken aback. "I beg of you. Help us defend ourselves against the Koopa Kingdom. Without your guidance, we don't stand a chance. From princess to princess, I swear upon my crown that I shall do everything in my power to help you return to your land."

Zelda looked at all the pleading stares and the gaze of Peach's tearful blue eyes. Then she saw the similar expressions on everyone else's face. "I humbly accept your offer. From princess to princess, I swear to the Golden Goddesses that I shall aid you in your time of need to the best of my ability."

"That's all anyone can ask," Peach said, wiping her tears away. "All right! Let's get to work!"

* * *

The castle was busy with activity. Outside, soldiers were either training under the guidance of Sheik or the Master. Peach, standing just outside the castle, watched with admiration as Sheik finished training the troops for the day. They had been taught basic unarmed combat maneuvers and were making slow, but steady progress. To finish the class, Sheik tossed a Deku Nut. The following flash was enough to let Sheik seem to disappear. The Master, the old, bearded mushroom person in the maroon robe and turban, applauded the trick before dismissing everyone. 

"Do you approve of my work?" Sheik asked, standing next to Peach, much to her surprise.

"Yes, you're great!" Peach said giddily. "I've never seen everyone so confident in themselves."

"Your approval is much appreciated, Princess," Sheik said. "But they still need more training."

"Um, Zelda," Peach asked nervously.

"Sheik," the ninja corrected.

"Yes…Sheik. Why do you change so drastically when you dress like that?"

"It is more than just a fashion statement, Princess," Sheik said, turning to look at the sunset. "I am my own separate personality. Though Zelda and I share a body, our souls are as different as day and night. The altered form that stands before you is a product of Sheikah magic."

"So…are you a girl or a boy?" Peach asked anxiously. She could have sworn she heard Sheik hiss.

"I am…female," Sheik said shamefully. "The magic only changes my skin color, clothing, and eye color. Everything else remains the same."

"Then, what is…"

"A codpiece," Sheik answered before she could finish. "And yes, Zelda is quite flat of chest. It's best never to mention that again. I would also appreciate it if you referred to me as a male. That is what I was in my previous life."

"…O-kay," Peach said, still absorbing all of that.

There was a brief pause as they both looked into the sunset. "Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?" Sheik asked.

The Master spoke before Peach could answer. "Excuse me, young man. cough Many of the soldiers would like a demonstration of our skill. Would you care to spar? cough"

"Very well," Sheik said. Then, he looked at the Master closely. "Are you sure that you are able to fight at your age?"

"Do not underestimate me," the Master said, before coughing violently. "Use any items and weapons at your disposal." They walked to a clearing, while everyone else stood far away. Peach was brought a seat by one of her servants.

Both fighters took their stance. "You may have the first attack," Sheik said. The Master coughed and walked up to Sheik. Sheik blocked the predictable, but surprisingly strong hand chop. "Ah! You age belies your strength."

"I'll go easy on you for now," the old mushroom man coughed. Sheik broke into a run that was low to the ground and tried to charge the Master. The Master only flinched slightly and chopped Sheik in the head, instantly flooring Sheik. The ninja rolled back to his feet and threw a few needles. The Master caught the needles effortlessly and tossed them over his shoulder. Sheik then tossed a Deku Nut. The Master was blinded just long enough to be kicked in the back, tripped up, tossed to the floor and have Sheik's leg slam onto his abdomen. The Master bounced into the air breathlessly just as Sheik grabbed him once again and did a handstand kick to knock him further into the air. Before the Master landed, Sheik jumped into the air and chopped the Master back down. Everyone gasped.

"You are quite skilled for an old man," Sheik said, maintaining a fighting stance.

"As are you, young man," the Master said, standing up and dusting himself off. "cough, cough, cough You have the skills of a ninja; great agility and swift attacks, but little strength. Let me show you what true strength is!" After a short bout of coughing, he tossed off his robe and turban to reveal a yellow version of the same clothing. "Fight to the best of your ability, young lady."

"I would prefer that you refer to me…" Sheik began, but was hit in the gut by a lightning fast kick. The Master had actually seemed to slide across the floor and return to his starting position in a blur. Sheik grasped his stomach and fell to one knee. He could see the Master preparing another attack.

"Am I being too hard on you?" the Master taunted without a joking smile and no longer coughing. He thrust his fists forward as a warning and dashed across the clearing. Sheik hopped to the side and tried to chop him in the back of the neck. The Master blocked the strike and did a high kick, which Sheik back-flipped away from. The mushroom man dashed once again, aiming to kick Sheik in the same spot. The ninja dodged low and swung at the Master's legs. His opponent countered by jumping up and attempting to stomp the Sheikah. Sheik tossed down a nutshell and disappeared in a puff of flame and smoke, singing the Master. The sensitive man punched behind himself only to find needles sticking out of the ground. He heard a grunt from behind and was knocked down by two surging kicks from Sheik. The Master quickly hopped to his feet, dodged a high kick, a low leg sweep, two jabs, and threw his palm toward his opponent. Sheik caught his arm and slammed him onto the ground, once again landing his leg in the Master's midsection before flipping away. Just as the Master got to his feet, Sheik dashed into him with his arms slashing in an X formation. The Master was left on the ground for a second.

"I think it is time for you to concede," Sheik said as the Master slowly got to his feet. "You have proven yourself." Everyone was silent as the Master dusted himself off.

"As have you," he finally said. "Now, I shall fight you with all my strength. At this point you cannot win." He suddenly took on a golden aura. The fire in his beady eyes showed itself. Sheik took a defensive stance. As expected, the Master zoomed toward him with a kick, which Sheik was able to sidestep. However, he didn't expect the following punch or the subsequent uppercut. Sheik was sent reeling through the air, but caught himself and landed gracefully on the ground. He readied a few needles, but the Master did not give him time to use them. He darted in front of Sheik, who instinctively flipped backward. Expecting this, the Master feigned a poorly aimed rising uppercut. As Sheik began a counterattack with his needles, the Master spun in the air, landing a roundhouse kick in Sheik's face, knocking him backwards. The Master followed up with a punch to the stomach, kick to the face, and a double-palmed thrust to the chest.

"Ugh!" Sheik grunted, falling to the ground. That last attack was a painful reminder of his gender, as much as he hated to admit it.

"Young lady, there is no shame in forfeiting to a superior fighter," the Master said, maintaining his stance. "You have already impressed me." Sheik thought about it and decided to try at least one more trick. He rose to his feet, still grasping him(her)self. He spun around as sparkles appeared, and there stood Zelda in his place.

"One more time," she said, still wincing.

"Very well," the Master nodded. He dashed forward a final time. Zelda disappeared in a green light before he could land his attack. He did not see her anywhere around him. Suddenly, he sensed her above and looked up. Her foot was inches from his face, but he grabbed it, and slammed her to the ground.

"You win," she said in a daze.

"You fought exceptionally well," he said, helping her up. "It will take more training to defeat me at my best, though."

"Are you, okay?" Peach asked, stepping forward.

"She will be fine with some rest," the Master said. "Our Supreme Commander is much stronger than she looks."

One of the soldiers stepped forward. "Um, sir, I mean, ma'am. That was a very good fight, but…what were you trying to do with that last kick?"

"Yeah," another said. "Even if you landed it, there's no way he would have been knocked out by it."

"I was trying something new," Zelda replied vaguely. "Obviously, I haven't mastered it yet."

"I sensed a great power within you," the Master said, regaining his red robe and stiff form. "You will unlock it when the time is right."

"I have seen that power in my dreams," Zelda said, looking into the sky. "That power would have made my kick strong enough to smash armor." Then she chuckled bitterly, "Heh, but it looks like he smashed by chest first."

"But how?" Peach asked innocently. "It shouldn't hurt that much if you have a flat chest." Zelda frowned and squeezed her eyes shut in aggravation.

"I am not flat," she said, containing her anger. "Besides, I meant my ribs. This martial artist's strikes are like hammers."

"Get some rest," the Master said, somewhat amused by the conversation. "I shall see you all bright and early."

"Come with me, Zelda," Peach said, taking her hand. "I'll get you healed right away." She led her into the castle and into her room.

"You store healing items in your room?" Zelda asked, studying the very pink room.

"Not really," Peach smiled. She cupped Zelda's hand into her own and closed her eyes. A pink glow began to form around her as she concentrated. A flurry of blue sparkles briefly shined around Zelda and she had a warm fuzzy feeling, as if she was in complete safety.

"You know magic?" Zelda asked as the aura subsided. All of the pain was gone.

"Yes," Peach replied, letting her hands go. "I call it Therapy. But promise you won't tell anyone! I had to sneak out of the castle to develop these powers."

"I won't tell anyone," Zelda nodded. There was suddenly a frantic knock on the door.

"Come in," Peach said.

Toad burst in through the door, tripping and falling flat on his face. After quickly recovering, he bowed and spoke, "Princess…sorry… princesses, Bowser's army has been spotted approaching from the west, south, and east. Villagers from Goomba Village and Koopa Village have already fled to Toad Town for safety."

"So, this Bowser is planning on using a pincer move," Zelda thought. "If he's attacking from every direction except the north… Is there anything significant to the north besides his Dark Land?"

"A little to the northeast," Peach thought aloud, "there's Shooting Star Summit and, further to the east of that, Mushroom City."

"Bowser might be trying to back us into a corner," Zelda said, folding her arms. "But then again, an animal is most dangerous when cornered."


	5. Battle of Toad Town

**Battle of Toad Town**

Parakarry flew swiftly over Toad Town, eager to report to Sheik and the Master about his findings. His turquoise shell glistened in the mid-morning sun as he dived straight toward the northern gate, where Sheik and the Master were waiting patiently. His wings fluttered to stop him just before he touched down.

"What do you cough have for us?" the Master asked, keeping his arms folded behind his back.

"I've spotted enemy forces approaching from Goomba Road and Pleasant Path," the winged Parakoopa replied, "but nothing in the sea to the south."

"Perhaps they've changed their minds about attacking from the south," the Master mused, before going into a bout of coughing.

"Have the sewers been sealed per my request?" Sheik asked, looking over to Bombette.

"Trust me," the pink bob-omb winked. "Nothing is getting through there for a while. I collapsed every passageway with a warp pipe."

"And the civilians?" Sheik asked.

"In safety behind this gate as planned," the Master answered.

"Very good," Sheik said. Then he turned on his walkie-talkie and spoke, "Prepare yourselves. The enemy is near. Hold them at the gates." The Master made a suggestive cough. "…Sorry…over." Then, Sheik looked around his vicinity. "Where is Luigi?"

"No one's seen him for days," Parakarry replied with a frown. "He might've gone looking for Mario."

"Very well," Sheik nodded. "Report to battle stations." Everyone snapped a salute and went their separate ways. Bombette and the blue shelled Kooper scurried toward the eastern gate, while the Master and his pupils hurried toward the western gate. Sheik nodded to Parakarry, signaling him to take to the skies and be an eye in the sky. Sheik's personal squad was to watch the southern gate and provide support if the other forces ever got pushed back.

* * *

The Mushroom Kingdom was fighting successfully at the end of Pleasant Path. Kooper was blazing through lines of exploding Bob-ombs in the protection of his shell. Bombette dived into the fray with a blast that wiped out an entire squad of enemy Koopas. The few Koopas and Bob-ombs that weren't loyal to Bowser tried to emulate their leaders as best they could. The Toad soldiers struck down the weaker enemies like Goombas and injured Koopas. After only half an hour, Bowser's forces had been almost pressed back to the abandoned Koopa Village.

Meanwhile, Bowser's forces were being beaten even worse on Goomba Road. The Master, in his golden outfit, was plowing through Goombas and Koopas effortlessly. The Toad soldiers took care of anything that he left behind. In only a few minutes, Bowser's forces had retreated back onto the bridge. In a final punch, the Master destroyed the bridge, sending many of the enemy forces to their doom, and assuring that the monsters would have a harder time getting back. The remaining Troopas and Goombas retreated through the mini-fortress.

* * *

Parakarry reported his findings to Sheik via radio.

"Very good," Sheik replied. "The enemy is falling back." After a moment of silence, one of his soldiers coughed and glanced at him. "…Over."

"Commander?" Kooper radioed in. "This is Kooper. We've got them on the run! Should we chase them all the way back to the fortress, over?"

"Fortress?" Sheik thought. "No, that's too big of a risk for now. However, try to secure that village…over."

"Yes, sir, over," Kooper radioed out.

"Sir!" Parakarry called in. "Enemy air forces are coming in fast, over."

"All squadrons, ready your fire flowers, over!" Sheik commanded.

* * *

As Bombette and Kooper secured Koopa Village with the rest of their squadron, they found themselves suddenly surrounded by cloud-riding Lakitus, broom-riding Magikoopas, and hundreds of winged Paratroopas. The toads raised their fire flowers and fired at anything they could hit. Most of the flying enemies dodged the fireballs and jets of flame and began to dive bomb the toad army. The Lakitus tossed their Spinies with precision, making sure that if no one was directly hit, the Spinies could pursue them on their own. The real trouble started when the Magikoopas began blasting away with their wands. More and more of the Mushroom Kingdom's forces were being downed by the blasts. Some were even being turned into random objects like bricks, stones, and mushrooms. Suddenly, a winged turquoise shell jetted through the skies, knocking nearly every airborne creature out of the sky, and leaving streams of smoke in its wake.

"Thanks, Parakarry!" Kooper shouted out to the Parakoopa. Parakarry took care of the enemies that hadn't been knocked out of the air, like the Lakitus. Kooper continued to blaze across the ground in his fiery shell, taking out anything in his way. Bombette blasted anything she could. The other soldiers did everything they could to hold off the enemy forces. Despite their best efforts, the enemy was closing in around them.

* * *

The Master called his troops to attention when he saw new forces approaching the cliff. A squad of giant Thwomps stomped straight toward the cliff. The living blue stones began to lay themselves into place, forming a 3x7 Thwomp bridge. A legion of spiked Spiny shells slid out of the mini-fortress and across the Thwomp bridge. The Mushroom forces raised their shields to block the oncoming shells. Most of them bounced off of the shields harmlessly. Suddenly, Bob-ombs began flying out of the fortress and into their midst, breaking their formation. The Master ordered his soldiers to charge and storm the fortress. As soon as they stepped on the first row of Thwomps, the stone creatures grunted. At that signal, a giant Bullet Bill poked its face out of the fortress, while Bob-ombs continued to be lobbed out of the roof.

"Fall back!" the Master ordered. The Bullet Bill rocketed out of the fortress and blasted into the ranks of the Mushroom forces. As soon as all the bodies hit the ground, another toothy-grinned Bill poked its face out of the mini-fortress. The Master stood up amongst his fallen comrades and readied himself. As soon as the living bullet shot out of fortress, the Master caught it, and in one spin, redirected the creature back at the fortress. The stone structure exploded into a ball of fire that blew everything away from it. Exploding Bob-ombs rained all around. Once they stopped falling, no other forces appeared for the moment. The Master surveyed his surroundings and found very few of his soldiers still moving, let alone standing. Then he heard a roar in the distance. The ground began to shake as if giant footsteps were jogging toward him. After seeing shadows in the smoke, several giant Koopas stomped across the Thwomp bridge in single-file. They didn't look like normal giant Koopas either. They had jagged ridges on their shells, narrow, soulless eyes, and large fangs in their sharp bills. Many of them seemed discolored; some were close to being blue and purple. Each was nearly as large as Bowser himself.

"Reeeaaah!" the first giant screeched, aiming to tackle the Master. He sidestepped out of the way and tripped the giant, who crashed to the ground. The next behemoth tried to leap onto him, just as he dived out of the way. Even as he fended them off with various kicks, punches, and counters, more and more charged over the Thwomp bridge. Soon enough, giant Koopas surrounded him. As hard as he tried, he wasn't able to prevent a few from slipping through the West Gate.

* * *

As soon as the giant Koopas burst through the gate, a flurry of fireballs came their way. They continued on their charge, only seeming annoyed by the flames from the fire flowers. What did stop them was the sudden shock from the ground, causing them to instantly withdraw into their shells. One of the toad soldiers had used a POW block. The moment the koopas came out of their shells, another POW block shook the ground and put them right back in their shells. It was obvious that the mushroom people were using the nearby shop for a healthy supply of POW blocks. It wouldn't be long, though, before more reinforcements of the Koopa Troop arrived.

* * *

Sheik had already told everyone in his vicinity to prepare for trouble at the east gate. He had lost contact with Parakarry, Bombette, and Kooper, a short while ago. Just as he gathered a handful of needles, the sky filled with Lakitus and Magikoopas.

"Strike them down!" Sheik yelled, letting his needles fly. The sky filled with fireballs, thunderbolts, and a few falling stars. Every enemy in the sky was seemingly either vaporized or killed in midair from the onslaught. Sheik told everyone to hold their fire, once he was sure that nothing else was in the sky. A few smoldering bodies had fallen down into the plaza.

"You cannot win, heh heh heh," cackled a Magikoopa, dying nearby.

"I beg to differ," Sheik replied, glaring at the pitiful monster.

"By defeating us…you have sealed…your fate," he rasped. "They will destroy you… They will kill everyone… Lord Bowser shall wield the same power as that man."

"What are you going on about?" Shiek asked, somewhat agitated.

"That man… He wields the power of the gods." That phrase rung a bell in Sheik/Zelda's mind.

"What man?" Sheik demanded, picking up the magician by the collar.

"Ha, ha, ha!" the Magikoopa laughed. "Fools…the darkness shall consume you! Ha, ha, ha, ha!" His laugh turned into a hollow echo as he turned to dust and blew away into the wind.

One toad soldier ran up to him hurriedly. "Sir! There are giant Koopas in the western plaza. We're holding them back with POW blocks, but we don't know how much longer that will last. Most creatures keel over after two or three hits from those items."

"Do we have any word from the Master?" Sheik asked.

The toad shook his head. "'Fraid not, sir."

Sheik sighed and told the soldiers to alert him if anything else appeared. He quickly made his way to the Western gate and was somewhat shocked to see the giant turtle shells sitting there.

"Nothing else is working on them, sir," one of the soldiers whispered to him. Sheik tossed a deku nut into one of the shells. The resulting flash startled the Koopa completely out of its shell. When it came to its senses it attempted to hop back in but was stalled by another POW block. Sheik then snapped out a chain whip and wrapped it around the bare Koopa. It growled and pulled back on the chain, pulling Sheik forward with it.

"Now's your chance," Sheik said, somewhat agitatedly. The soldiers realized what he meant and planted a new set of fire flowers. The Koopa screeched from the burning, but refused to back down. Unfortunately, a few gigantic Goombas charged through the gate and kicked the shells, which barreled through the lines of toad soldiers. Now that the line was broken, the Koopas wasted no time in destroying the shop. The Goombas, no longer a walking joke of an enemy, began to chomp down on toad soldiers wherever they could. They even enjoyed the irony of squashing toad soldiers under them.

Sheik retracted the chain whip back up his sleeve and began to defend himself. He broke out into a spinning kick on the ground, knocking away the nearby Goombas, and back flipped away from a snapping Koopa. When four Koopas dived at him from all sides, he disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared on top of their pile. From there, he tossed a few needles at the Goombas and leapt off. He was suddenly knocked over by a large, sliding Koopa shell. He rolled to the side just in time to avoid being smashed by another diving Koopa. He hopped to his feet and flipped over a Goomba, and kicking it in the back when he landed. With an elbow thrust to a Goomba to the side of him, and a wheel kick to the Koopa in front of him, he was being increasingly overwhelmed.

"Fall back!" he yelled, throwing down a smoke bomb. He returned to the plaza in front of the northern gate just as he saw a giant, barking, black ball on a chain bust through the eastern gate. The giant Chain Chomp snapped at any toad soldier near it, but was somewhat restrained by the chain. It appeared to be pulling something. Another Chain Chomp burst through an adjacent building, nearly tackling its partner. The toad soldiers scrambled to use their fire flowers, but the flames served only to enrage the reddening metal monsters.

"Hold your fire!" Sheik yelled, realizing the ill effects of the fire. One Chomp bowled over another building and tugged on its chain. The other Chomp barked and ate a handful of soldiers. The object they were pulling could now be seen. It was a Bullet Bill Blaster, much like the one that the Master had encountered. Even Sheik could plainly see that it was a large cannon. Then, he saw something approaching from the southern gate that horrified him. They were big, green, only had two front legs, and were setting fire to everything.

"What the heck are those things!" one of the soldiers cried.

"Dodongos?" Sheik murmured. "How did they get here?" He heard a roar behind him and saw the giant Goombas and Koopas charging their way. He saw another cannon being pulled from that direction as well.

"Sir, we must retreat into the castle!" one his soldiers called out, running toward the northern gate. Before he could reach it, a Piranha Plant burst out of the ground and chomped down on him. Two tall Piranha Plants rose from the ground on both sides of it and began to spit fireballs at any toad soldier that remained. Sheik realized that there was no way for him to go through the gate that way, but it was time to go. He leapt into a nearby tree, just as a Koopa shell skidded along the path that he was on. Then he leapt onto the spinning roof of Merlon's former abode. Using the momentum from the spinning roof, he jumped onto the wall that separated the town from the castle grounds and hopped down.

"I've failed," Sheik said to himself shamefully. Already, the enemy was pounding on the gate.

"Not yet," an unknown voice said. He looked to the side and saw what appeared to be a tan-skinned young man wrapped in a blue cape and cap. His eyes, half-covered by the carroty hair sticking out from beneath his cap, had a piercing stare. The figure also seemed to have strange black lines that went straight down from his eyes. "We'll be safe in the castle for now."

"Who are you?" Sheik asked cautiously. This new person didn't look like anyone else in this world.

"I'm an old friend of the princess," the figure smiled lightly. "You can call me Geno."


	6. Falling Stars

**Falling Stars**

_Note: In case you don't know, Geno was a character from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. He's a fan favorite, so you might want to Google him or something if you've never seen or heard of him._

Zelda and Geno had joined Peach in the bowels of the castle, where they would be safe from Bowser for the time being. The winding halls of the dungeon-like basement were semi-flooded with ankle-deep water. Peach hadn't recognized Geno at first, but she soon realized who was under the trademark azure cape and cap.

"I'm so glad to see you once again," Peach said happily, giving him a small hug. "But you look…different…almost more…"

"Human?" Geno suggested. "I can explain that…"

* * *

My superiors had summoned me from my usual duties to investigate, as they put it, "unusually violent activity" in the Mushroom World. They implied that such activity might actually harm certain important…artifacts. Realizing the potential danger I might encounter, I chose to reacquire my worldly body, the Geno doll. 

When I arrived in Rose Town, I found the village under attack by the Koopa Klan. After quickly fusing into the doll and transforming it to an appropriate size, I immediately found myself in battle with legions of Bowser's soldiers…It was a lost cause unfortunately…Most of the villagers had fled, everything was in flames, and the reinforcements were never ending. I was eventually forced to escape the collapsing town. As I traveled the land, I came across other towns already in shambles. When, I arrived at Star Hill, I found an unusually high amount of wishes accumulating. I then made the long journey to Shooting Star Summit, up Star Way, and finally entering Star Haven.

It was a bit awkward to be amongst my brethren in doll form, but I had to see the Star Spirits immediately. I had only spoken to the Seven Stars for a minute or two before I heard screams and explosions could be heard outside the palace. We rushed outside to investigate and witnessed the unholy desecration of the sanctuary by Bowser's more aerially inclined forces. Many of the star citizens that _weren't_ shattered into particles of light by the onslaught were captured. The Star Spirits and I held off as many Lakitus, Magikoopas, and Paratroopas as we could. However, when an airship floated up from the clouds below and began to bombard the Haven with cannonballs and Bullet Bills, we decided that I should return to the palace and retrieve the Star Rod, while the Star Spirits held off the steadily increasing enemy army.

What should have been an easy 100-yd dash ended up being a deadly obstacle course. I didn't know what at the time, but some unseen force was causing tremors throughout the haven and progressively tearing it apart. Stone, glass, and metal from the buildings and stardust from the very core of the haven was being tossed about, forcing me use as most agility as I could muster. As I reached the final stretch, the bridge from the plaza area and across the moat to the palace, the airship began to specifically target me. I reached the inside of the palace just as a flurry of Bullet Bills exploded into the bridge outside.

The inner palace's solemn beauty was disrupted by the tremors, which were increasing in frequency and severity, but I continued to run for the Star Rod in the center of the indoor moat. Before I could reach the sacred relic, the entire wall on the other side of the chamber was smashed through by something. In the resulting cloud of dust, that something fired a bright, green laser that blasted a hole in the floor before me, forcing me to stop abruptly. Once the dust settled, that something was revealed to be some sort of giant, four-legged mechanical Skeeter. A second laser blast forced me to hop back just as it blew another hole into the ground. Once it began to fire a sustained blue laser at the floor, I had to retreat back to the entrance to avoid destruction. Before I could make that far, though, it destroyed the floor behind me, leaving me stranded on a single strip of the bridge, surrounded by water. I dived into the water before the beam could get to me, forcing the robot to guess where I was. I used my cap as a distraction to draw its fire while I fired my own beam from elsewhere in the water. Seeing it make a direct hit, I climbed out of the water and onto the pedestal of the Star Rod, ready to seize it and make a quick escape. Before I could grab it, I was blasted back into the water, not by the robot, but by a fireball from the King of Koopas himself.

I could see his mouth smoking as he laughed, "Long time no see, doll boy." He flew into the chamber in his Koopa Clown Car and snatched the Star Rod. In the process, he also pulled me up with it, since I quickly grabbed onto it as well.

And I can tell you that after witnessing the ruin of Star Haven, losing my hat, becoming all but bald, and being wet and burnt, I was not in a very cheerful mood. "I don't know what drove you to try this again," I growled, "but you can be sure I won't let you befoul the stars again." With that said, I launched my Rocket Punch into his face. The small blast made him drop the Star Rod.

"Kooky!" he bellowed to his son driving the robot.

"I'm on it, Dad!" the strangely accented Koopaling echoed over the robot's speakers. "I was just recalibrating the photon synthesizers! Skeemega 3000, arm the charged particle ray!" As Bowser's Clown Car floated out of the way, red particles began to gather at the front of the machine.

I locked my arm back into place and, with the Star Rod in my hand, I dropped down to the pedestal where the relic had been and I jumped to the remaining piece of the bridge. Before I could reach the entrance, the fully charged particle ray annihilated the entrance and cut through the ground, off-balancing the entirety of Star Haven. All of the water spilled out and the palace began to collapse. As I saw the ray being charged again I held out the Star Rod. The ray fired first, but I shielded myself with the power of the Star Rod. Everything around me disintegrated as our two powers struggled to outmatch one another.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! Not even the power of the stars can stop the genius of Ludwig Von Koopa!" the Koopaling laughed manically.

"I beg to differ!" I replied in my somewhat exhausted state, as smoke began to rise off of the machine. I quickly waved the Star Rod, reflecting the beam into one of the machines legs, causing the whole thing to fall over.

"But how?" Ludwig whined, crawling out of the wreckage. He had grown bigger over the years, but he retained his usual look; he still had his big tuft of crazy blue hair and his snaggletooth. "How could my creation be beaten by a dusty old piece of wood like that?"

"Because this dusty old piece of wood is powered by the heart," I answered, as the palace continued to shift. I glanced upward and dived out of the way just as Bowser crashed down.

"So you know how to break my kid's toy," Bowser shrugged.

"Stand back!" I warned him, holding up the Star Rod. "You know you're no match against me while I have this."

"Trust me, doll boy, I know the limits of that thing," Bowser said, stomping forward. "I don't really need it anymore, but a little back up never hurts." Then, he snapped his fingers. I was somewhat perplexed when nothing happened immediately. I should have moved or something because suddenly a very sharp rock jutted up beneath me and sent me flying. I held onto the Star Rod and used it to send a bolt of lightning at Bowser. With speed I've seen in him before, Bowser instantly withdrew into his shell and spun to the side to dodge the bolt. Then, in the same movement, he spun toward me. Fortunately, I was fast enough to dive out of the way. Once he stopped spinning, he halteded next to me and came out of his shell breathing fire. I used the Star Rod to shield myself and created a shockwave of energy. Bowser leapt over it but the floor began to collapse even more, creating a few dangerous holes in the ground. When I followed up with another shockwave, Bowser merely held his ground, seeming to take little damage.

"Something is definitely not right," I groaned in frustration. "How did you get so much more agile and stronger?"

"That's my little secret," he grinned. "But it's the same power I used to get rid of the Mario Brothers and that stupid hussy Peach."

* * *

"He called me a stupid hussy!" Peach exclaimed, interrupting. 

"Actually, he called you something worse," Geno answered modestly.

"You shouldn't interrupt like that, Peach," Zelda scolded. "Please, continue Geno."

"Alright," Geno said. "Anyway…"

* * *

At the time I wasn't able to accept his malcontent with you. "Not even you are that evil," I said. 

"Why else would you be here if I weren't?" he growled, still grinning arrogantly. "Come on, Smithy's not around anymore. I'm the only other person in the world who can make the stars shake in their little celestial boots. And I'm pretty sure I just destroyed this place and a few star guys." As if to agree with him the entrance broke away from the rest of the palace. The airship flew into place, ready to destroy everything that was left.

My wooden face was expressionless as it had usually been, but he I was cringing on the inside. I raised the Star Rod high and shouted, "Star Spirits, I call upon your power. Help me defeat this creature of the Dark Land." The Star Spirits flew in on cue. They circled above me as I charged the Star Rod.

"Kooky, now!" Bowser roared. Ludwig climbed back into the Skeemega and reactivated it. The machine shot an energy web into the air. At its highest point, the web stopped and spread wide. The Star Spirits were instantly magnetized to the web. Before they could even say anything, the web closed around them and shrunk into a ball. Bowser tore open a strange black portal out of thin air and the web ball flew in.

"What have you done?" I yelled angrily. Suddenly, a small star smacked into my hand, making me drop the Star Rod. Bowser took the chance to blow a cloud of fire at me. Though, I was set ablaze and knocked down, I could not feel true pain. I knew he didn't have much time left so I ran for the Star Rod. Just before I could reach it, though, Bowser dug his claws into my torso and lifted me off the ground.

"You're one tough little guy, you know that?" he chuckled, picking up the Star Rod in his other hand. In desperation, I launched both of my Rocket Punches at Bowser. Apparently, he knew more about the Star Rod than I had previously given him credit for because he didn't even flinch this time. "Face it, Geno. You've lost! I've gotten rid of the Mario Brothers, sent Peach to her doom, smashed your precious Star Haven, and now I have the Star Rod. If you give up I just may give you a less painful end."

"I don't feel pain," the I spoke defiantly, feeling my body continue to turn to ash.

"Bwa ha ha ha1" Bowser guffawed, blasting me across the shattered floor with another breath of fire. I kept myself from rolling into one of the holes in floor despite my quickly disintegrating form. I got to my feet and prepared for a final attack. I stuck out my hand, closed my eyes, and focused my energy. Once the charge was complete, my eyes shot open and I unleashed my Geno Whirl. The large whirling yellow buzz saw-like blade flew out of my hand and toward Bowser so fast that it left multiple after images. Much to my surprise however, Bowser caught the blade between both of his hands.

"Impossible!" I whispered in disbelief as my legs began to give way.

"Kooky, take care of the rest," Bowser nodded toward the Skeemega. Then, he somehow tossed the blade back at me, slicing me in half. I tried to crawl as best as I could, but I knew there was nothing I could do.

"This'll be fun, ha ha ha!" Ludwig cackled. As I watched the crippled machine charge several beams at once, I closed my eyes and withdrew from the doll body.

* * *

"Not only did they destroy the doll," Geno frowned, "but they annihilated Star Haven at the same time. I assume that the next target was Nimbus Land. Understand his pattern?" 

"He attacked the most powerful locations first," Peach answered sorrowfully. "But why attack harmless places like Seaside and Rose Town?"

"Simple," Zelda said. "He's making it clear that he wasn't bluffing. But that still doesn't explain why you're…like that."

"Well, that's a little less dramatic," Geno frowned with embarrassment. "What you see before you is just the newest deluxe model that I could find in a toy store."

"Why didn't you just return to your superiors?" Zelda asked.

"I lost contact with them after Bowser corrupted the surviving stars from the haven," Geno said solemnly. "One of them was the reason I dropped the Star Rod." He turned to Peach, who had a cheerless expression. "I don't know what made Bowser change the way he did, but I suspect it might have something to do with someone from your world," he said, turning to Zelda.

She bit her lip and asked, "What makes you say that?"

"Bowser may have an army, but they were never this organized before," Geno replied sternly. "Ganondorf on the other hand…"

"How do you know about him!" Zelda shouted, startling everyone in the room.

"My superiors are higher up than you might think," Geno smirked. "At any rate, you need an escape plan. That army will be inside this castle eventually; they should know it well enough." Zelda turned questioningly to Peach.

"What?" Peach said innocently. "So they've taken over the castle a few times…"

"Oh Goddesses…" Zelda groaned.

"We remodeled," Peach said weakly. "We even moved a few rooms around."

"What was in that empty room with mirror upstairs?" Zelda asked, leaning her cheek on her curled fist.

"Oh, that was one of our best rooms a few years ago," Peach said, cheering back up slightly. "It was the main art gallery. We had so many paintings back then…Then, Bowser used them as portals to take over the castle."

"Where are the paintings now?" Geno asked, getting an idea. "They might be our safest ticket out of here."

"A few of them are in a storage room on the first floor," Peach answered, "but most of them are down here. I sealed all of the portals though."

"Then, let's unseal them," Zelda said.

"Okay, follow me," Peach said, leading Geno and Zelda through the basement. They made several winding turns. It almost seemed as if they were going in circles. Eventually, they reached a large red velvet door. When they pushed through, there was a loud creaking sound. Unlike most of the stone basement, this fully lit room had walls, a floor, and ceiling made of brick. With the exception of the incredibly large chest in the middle of the floor, it was a very dull medium-sized room. As the trio stepped toward the chest, they stopped when they saw a small shadow behind the chest. Peach signaled for them to be silent as she continued to approach the chest. Zelda peeked around the chest and saw that the shadow was coming from a short, grey mustached toad man dressed in a regal green and red robe and golden crown. His back was turned as he was staring directly at the wall.

"Are you the ki…?" Zelda tried to ask before Peach put her hand over her mouth.

Much to Peach's chagrin, the man turned around and stared at them blankly before snapping out of his stupor. "What, what! Oh, good day, Peach."

Peach sighed and glared at Zelda briefly before showing a sunny smile to the man. "Hello, Daddy. These are my friends Zelda and Geno. I hope you don't mind them visiting."

"Of course not," the king smiled. "Just be sure to eat your vegetables and be careful not to run into that Bowser fellow. He's been known to kidnap young women who look almost exactly like you."

"Yes, Daddy," Peach replied, glancing at Zelda to see if she got the hint. "Oh, look at that!" she exclaimed suddenly, pointing behind him.

"What?" he asked, turning toward the wall. "I don't see anything but this very wall."

"Oh, but you simply must see it!" Peach said excitedly. "Look hard. Keep looking until you see it! I promise you won't be disappointed."

"Alright then," he said naively, staring at the wall.

Peach then quietly opened the chest, and tried to lift out one of the huge paintings. Suddenly, the entire castle shook and she dropped it.

"What is that racket?" the king asked irritably. "I suppose someone has decided to have a party upstairs. How rude of them to interrupt me while I search for this amazing thing. Peach, be a dear and ask them pipe down just a bit." The castle shook even more.

"Let's just push the chest out," Geno suggested quietly. With all three of them pushing, the chest was soon outside of the room.

"Why do you keep your father down here like this?" Zelda asked, as they began to remove paintings one by one. "I expected better of you."

"It's not like that at all," Peach replied. "Daddy was never a very good decision maker. I mean, you just saw how he reacted to the castle shaking so violently. My mother was always the one who ruled this kingdom. But after she died, I was too young to rule. So, when Daddy took over, everything started going haywire. He dropped taxes altogether, nearly destroyed the economy, gave all the guards permanent leave with pay, _and_ virtually invited the Koopa Kingdom to take over. When Bowser finally did invade, it was decided that Daddy should be kept from using his authority, so we try to keep him…um…occupied."

"By tricking him into staring at a wall?" Zelda said, appalled.

"If it worked for over seven years straight," Geno said matter-of-factly, "I can't very well argue with her."


	7. Siege on Mushroom Castle

**Siege on Mushroom Castle**

"Okay, everyone, listen up!" Zelda announced to the crowd. The paintings were either hanging low on the walls or lying flat on the floor. "These are the paintings designated as safe for escape. Those confident in their swimming abilities are advised to go to Wet Dry World or Jolly Roger Bay."

"Lady Bow, the mistress of the Boo's Mansion in Forever Forest," Peach began, "is waiting for us at Big Boo's Haunt. I'm pretty sure we can trust them."

"But just in case something goes wrong," Zelda added, "we also recommend that some of you chose an alternative such as the choices I previously stated as well as Cool, Cool Mountain, Snowman's Land,and Bomb Bomb Battlefield…"

"Actually it's Bob-omb Battlefield," Peach interrupted.

"Whatever," Zelda muttered. "Anyway, we discourage you from going to Shifting Sand Land and Lethal Lava Land for obvious reasons. Each group is to be escorted by at least two guards. " When she was finished, she turned to Peach and nodded.

Peach clasped her hands and closed her eyes. "Stars of the castle, your power is needed at once. Help me unseal the portals of these paintings once used for evil, but now necessary for our survival." A pink aura began to form around her.

"She has more power than she let's on," Zelda whispered to Geno, who was standing in the corner, keeping himself concealed with his cloak and hat.

"You should see her on the battlefield," he replied.

"Power Stars, come unto me!" Peach yelled as her aura suddenly turned yellow. Then she motioned toward the paintings. A giant star floated out of her and began to spin amongst the paintings until they all began to ripple. The star then returned to her and the aura dissipated. "Alright, that should do it."

"Choose your destination wisely," Zelda cautioned. "I've been told that these worlds are somewhat isolated, so you may be stuck there for a while."

Everyone looked hesitant. Some toads only touched the paintings to see if they could pass through. When the castle shook more violently than before, the toads suddenly got the encouragement they needed and hopped through the paintings of their choice.

"Ready to go?" Zelda asked Peach.

"Sure," Peach said. "Just as soon as…" She looked and saw one important person missing from her entourage. She saw Toad, the Minister, the Chancellor, Toadsworth and even King Toadstool, who was staring at another wall yet again. "Grandma! Grandma, where are you!"

"Shoot!" Zelda cursed. "All of you go ahead! I'll find her!"

"I won't leave without her!" Peach cried, running off. "She must still be in my room." Geno and Zelda chased after her.

"I'll check the rest of the castle," Geno said to Zelda. "You stay with Peach. The Power Stars made the castle all but impenetrable, but not after she absorbed the power to unseal the paintings."

"Right," she nodded. Once they exited the basement, Geno ran through the upper central door to the next floor, while Zelda followed Peach into her room. There, they found her Grandma frantically rummaging through drawers and other things.

"Grandma, what are you doing!" Peach exclaimed. "We have to go!"

"Not until I find your mother's heirloom," she replied, not even bothering to look at her. "I promised her that I would do everything in my power to keep it safe until you became queen."

"It's not worth risking your life!" Peach cried.

"Silence, child!" her grandmother yelled. "The sooner I find it, the sooner we can leave!" All three began to look for the aforementioned heirloom. Peach looked through her closet. Her grandma searched through her bedding and decorations. Zelda searched through drawers in a corner of the room. Then, she came across a chair with a drawer under the cushion. Before she could lift the cushion or pull out the drawer, Peach had already grabbed her hand.

"Don't bother looking there, okay?" Peach said, hiding a blush.

"But you've looked everywhere else," Zelda reasoned.

"_Trust me_," Peach said, squeezing Zelda's hand to the point that it almost hurt. "It's _not _there."

Zelda raised her eyebrow and was about to say something, but Grandmother Toadstool announced, "I found it!"

"Then let's go!" Zelda called, as the castle shook almost rhythmically. They ran out of the room and into the lobby just as the front door flew to pieces. As the enemy army began to storm through, Geno burst through the central door upstairs, flipped through the air and landed on the sun design, in the center of the lobby, with his arm cannon exposed. A second later, a giant blue beam blasted through the enemy ranks, disintegrating many of them into stardust.

"I'll hold them off, while you get to the basement!" Geno yelled. Zelda, Peach, and her grandmother followed suit. Geno began to back up toward the basement door as his beam began to give out. Once the last few particles of light had flown out of his cannon, he relocked his hand and took his black Star Guns off his belt beneath his cape. As the entire front wall began to collapse and enemies charged forth, Geno fired off the mini razor stars from his guns to hold back the tide as much as possible. Soon the enemies began to come from rooms off to the side, but Geno calmly held his ground, despite the increasing numbers of mutant monsters.

Grandmother Toadstool, Zelda, and Peach hurriedly ran down the stairs to get to the door to the basement. Just as Grandmother Toadstool passed through the door, a Piranha Plant burst through the floor and chomped down onto Zelda's leg, lifting her into the air with it.

"Zelda!" Peach screamed.

"Oh my!" her grandmother gasped, poking through the door.

"Don't worry about me!" Zelda yelled. "Get out of here!" Then, using her magically infused, gloved hand, she chopped at the carnivorous plant's stem, cutting a large gash into it. It bit down harder. Peach was too horrified to move.

"Peach, we have to go!" her grandmother pleaded. "There's nothing we can do for her right now." She tried to take a step toward Peach, but a second bud jutted out of the ground on the same stem and snapped at her and Peach, determined to keep them from passing. Then, a third bud rose out of the ground, clamping at her grandmother. She ran behind the door and held it closed as the newest bud repeatedly slammed against it.

"Grandma, run!" Peach screamed, dodging the snapping second head.

"I won't leave you," her grandmother said, struggling against the force of the third head.

"We'll catch up," Zelda said, struggling to use her force field to keep the top plant from devouring her any further. "Vile thing!" The third head finally broke through the door and snapped away.

"Grandma, no!" Peach screamed, smacking away the second head and diving onto the third head. She found it chewing on a shoe, much to her horror, but thankfully heard the echo of footsteps running through water deeper in the basement. Then the second head clamped onto her shoulder and lifted her up. The third head then turned around and bit onto her ankle.

"I'm glad your grandmother is safe," Zelda said, as she began to sink further and further into the Piranha Plant's gullet. "_We_, on the other hand, might be a in a bit of trouble. Suddenly, Geno crashed through the door to the lobby and slammed into the wall. After falling to flat on his face, he got to his knees and saw Peach and Zelda. He held out his hand toward them and the Piranha Plants until a brief glow surround him. A whirling, yellow discus flew from him and cut the plant at the stem, sending Peach and Zelda tumbling to the ground.

"Now it's our turn to leave," he said in his usual quiet voice. "We have to hurry."

"Oh, we're just fine, thanks," Zelda said sarcastically, holding her leg and helping Peach, who lost one shoe to the plant, to her feet. Just as they moved to the doorway that the Piranha Plant had blocked, a large, bolted, red-eyed Bob-omb rolled down the hallway and got stuck in the doorway. It's eyes began to scroll into a five-second countdown. Peach and Zelda scampered back up the stairs as quickly as they could and followed Geno down a hall, just as enemy forces began to pile through the lobby door. The Bob-omb exploded just as a giant Goomba saw Peach limping down the hall. The blast blew away enough of the wall to start a ceiling collapse that blocked off the hallway. The three looked back once and headed through the door at the end of the hall.

The door led to the courtyard behind the castle. It had a small path that circled around a fountain in the center that had a star statue with an inscription under it. Clouds of smoke blocked out the sun and there were many blackened spots in the grass, perhaps from poorly aimed explosives. A few small trees had been knocked over. Peach absorbed the sad state of her castle. Zelda looked into the gray sky, noticing how similar this place looked to her own home. Geno surveyed the area cautiously.

"I think we can take a moment here, for now," Geno said quietly, walking to the fountain and sitting on the edge. "Judging from that collapse, I'd say that it'd take a little over five minutes for them to get here. Just be careful of any more burrowing intruders."

Peach stared at the ruined courtyard, leaning on her shoed foot, and held her injured shoulder. Then, she closed her eyes as tears began to flow from them. She walked to Zelda, who was sitting at the edge of the fountain, nursing her leg and looking at the inscription beneath the star statue. After sitting next to Zelda, she held one hand up and briefly glowed pink. Zelda, as well as Geno and herself were all healed.

"Peach," Zelda said gently, "I don't mean to be rude…but have you ever looked at this inscription?"

Peach wiped away her tears and glanced over at the inscription below the star statue. "It's just some gibberish that's been there since before I was born."

"Do you know what it says?" Zelda asked, staring at the inscription.

"It's hardly readable," Peach frowned, kicking off her shoe. "The only thing I could make out that made sense was _Eternal Star_. It's either that or _L is Real 2041_. No one knows for sure. Not even the sculptor."

"I see," Zelda said, turning away from the statue. "You know, ever since I first came to this world, I've never been able to read any of the writing here. All I ever see are strange symbols and a few familiar designs like hearts, thunderbolts, and stars. But this…" A faint blasting noise could be heard on the other side of the door.

"That's our cue to leave," Geno said, standing up. "Peach, I heard that you have personal plane."

"Yes, that's right!" Peach said, perking up. "I can't believe I forgot about it."

"What is this _plane_?" Zelda asked.

"Follow me," Peach said, running to the wall at the edge of courtyard. "One of you, destroy this section of the wall." Geno stepped forward, revealed his arm cannon, charged it for a few seconds, and blasted the wall away with his beam. The resulting hole revealed the airfield just behind the wall.

"Come on, this is a shortcut," Peach said, running through on her bare feet.

"Peach, wait!" the others called simultaneously. Bright lights suddenly beamed down onto the small airfield, some of them coming from the tall light poles themselves. A blaring siren sounded off almost as quickly. Bullet Bills rained down out of the air. As the others caught up to Peach, Zelda raised her hands and blocked everything that came their way with Nayru's Love.

"What's the plan, now?" Zelda asked irritably.

"Sorry," Peach grimaced.

"Can our attacks go through this shield?" Geno asked.

"Yes," Zelda said, keeping her arms up. "But to keep this barrier wide enough for all of us, we can't move too fast and I can't use any other magic while it's up."

"Make it just a little wider, if you would," Geno asked. Zelda gave him a questioning look and focused her energy into making the spell cover a wider area. "Just a little more." Zelda grunted and strained to make the shield cover about six square feet.

"Whatever you're about to do, do it fast!" Zelda grunted.

"Thank you," Geno said calmly. As he back flipped, he transformed into a cannon. Zelda almost lost her concentration from the sight of his transformation.

"I'd close your eyes if I were you," Peach said, before covering Zelda's sensitive ears. Zelda followed her instructions and squeezed her eyes shut. The Geno cannon fired off a slow moving globule of light into the air. Once it reached an appropriate height in the smoky clouds, it began to expand into a massive circle. Soon it began to flash intensely and seemed to take on the shape and intensity of a sun. Two beady eyes appeared as if it were alive. Then they squinted as the flashing, whistling, spinning, and size of the circle increased until it exploded, annihilating all of the Bullet Bills in the air. Peach opened her eyes and took her hands off of Zelda's ears.

"Alright, let's go," Geno said, now returned to normal. Zelda dropped her shield exhaustedly.

"It's in that hangar over there," Peach said, breaking into a jog again. Once they reached the hangar, Geno kept Peach from entering so quickly. He peaked inside and frowned.

"Do you remember your Sleepy Time spell?" he asked, taking out his Star Guns once again.

"I think so," Peach nodded. "But it only works on one person at a time."

"Can't you just blow them away with one of your unearthly powers?" Zelda asked, catching her breath.

"True, my powers are suited for unearthly beings," Geno replied. "And the guards inside are similar to the mutant Koopas and Goombas that overran you in Toad Town. However, any real fighting might damage our best chance for escape."

Zelda nodded and transformed into Sheik. "Then, let me handle this one. I work best in the shadows."

"Be my guest," Geno said, standing aside. "Just know that the plane is the large pink object."

Sheik nodded and silently slipped into the dark hangar. He saw rafters near the ceiling and used his chain whip to quickly hop up there before anything saw him. The four "Koopas" looked more monstrous than the ones he had seen before. The only real differences between them and Bowser was that they were completely green, hairless, and had elongated snouts. They also lacked the Koopa King's accessories but they looked about as tough.

The three "Goombas" looked like spiked mushrooms. Their fangs seemed more like tusks. The most noticeable thing about them was the presence of their relatively puny arms that hung below their massive heads. All of the monsters were just milling about cautiously, noticing the silence outside.

Meanwhile, Peach and Geno waited patiently outside. When they heard several bodies drop, Geno pushed open the hangar door completely. Sheik was already pushing the unmoving bodies to the side.

"How did you knock them out?" Peach asked, helping him push a Koopa.

"Poison needles to the backs of their necks," Sheik said. "They were dead before they hit the ground." Peach gasped and jumped back.

"You…killed them?" Peach asked meekly.

"Better them than us," Geno said solemnly.

"Is this the plane you were speaking of?" Sheik asked, pointing to the pink and white aircraft at the other end of the hangar.

"Yes, that's it," Peach said.

"Since when did you learn to fly a plane?" Geno asked as they walked to it.

"Ah, so it's a flying machine," Sheik realized.

"Daisy taught me on one of her visits," she answered. "Of course, I've never actually landed or taken off in one of them, but how hard could it be?"

Sheik and Geno gave a nervous glance to one another.

"On that note," Sheik began hesitantly, "what is our destination?"

"It'd be best if it was someplace faraway from here," Geno noted.

"Sarasaland?" Peach suggested.

"Not _that_ far," Geno said, going into thought. "It needs to be someplace we can reach before the day's end. And I doubt that a personal plane would have enough fuel to get us that far. Somewhere in the Southern Sea would be a good area."

"Right, there's plenty of islands down there," Peach said, stepping into the plane. A gigantic explosion rumbled the hangar outside.

"You two, get in the plane," Geno said, running toward the entrance with his Star Guns.

"What about you?" Peach called.

"Just get ready to take off," Geno called back. He could see something moving through a blasted wall in the castle. Two burning red Chain Chomps were tugging a giant Bullet Bill Blaster through the rubble, barking the whole way. The strange, red-eyed, bolted Bob-ombs were also there marching in unison, while keeping a safe distance from the Chain Chomps. Geno decided to make a preemptive strike by shooting a few star bullets at the Bob-ombs. Much to his surprise, the Bob-ombs did not react at all to the shots, despite the star bullets ability to dig into their metal plating. He heard the airplane's propellers start up behind him and realized that he would have to clear the increasingly crowded runway.

"Need a hand?" Zelda asked, standing next to him.

"You should be on that plane," Geno said.

"There's no sense in being there if it can't get in the air," she replied.

"Those Bob-ombs are heavily armored and well stabilized," Geno explained. "I can't even make them go off without getting too close."

"Bombs blow up when they are overheated, correct?" Zelda said, charging a fireball into her hands.

"Wait," Geno said, stopping her. "Aim for the Chomps." He gave off a brief flash and suddenly Zelda glowed with a power that was not her own. She glanced understandingly.

"If you say so," she said, pitching the fireball at the already overheated monsters. The fireball grew as it approached the Chomps and exploded on contact, bowling over the Bob-ombs. The Chain Chomps were temporarily stunned, but suddenly became so hot that the ground burned beneath them. They slammed into one another, broke their chains, and began to thrash about. When they touched the Bob-ombs, the bombs' metal plating was melted through, causing a chain of explosions in their ranks. The Chomps were blown sky-high. The Bob-ombs were wiped out of existence. The cannon was intact, but still not properly aimed. Unfortunately, there were other things to worry about. A giant, burning hunk of wood fell from the sky and shattered once it hit the ground. Geno and Zelda looked into the sky and saw the twin-propeller equipped Doomship that it had fallen from. More pieces of burning wood fell from it, revealing that the ship truly had a metal hull underneath.

"Yo, howsa' bout you guys throw in the towel about now?" a cocky tough-guy voice boomed. "If ya give up, I might go easy on ya…Heck, I'll let both the elf lady and Toadstool live because Roy Koopa's feelin' like bein' nice today."

"Get in the plane," Geno said, raising his hands and closing his eyes. "It's going to get a little messy out here." Zelda took the hint and ran back to the plane, which was nearing the front of the hangar. A white column of light shot out of Geno and straight into the air, narrowly missing the Doomship.

"So, that's how ya want it, huh?" the voice boomed. The Doomship armed itself with cannons and turrets all over its outer hull, immediately opening fire on the airfield. Even the dormant cannon in the castle's broken wall, shuddered to life. It fired a Bonzai Bill, which slowly readjusted its trajectory towards the hangar.

Geno didn't move an inch despite the explosions around him. He suddenly sliced the air downward, nearly pounding the ground and began to yell as the white column faded out of him.

"What is he doing?" Zelda asked, stepping inside the plane.

"You'll see," Peach answered, seated in the pilot's seat. "Roy's going to be in for a big surprise.

As Geno continued to scream his soul out, dozens of beams of light, each a different color, fell from the sky. They bombarded the Doomship as well as the airfield. When the light show ended a few seconds later, Geno looked and saw the Bonzai Bill heading for the hangar. The plane rolled out just as the black missile smashed into the hangar and exploded, annihilating the building. The metal Doomship above was smoking and slowly falling toward the ground. Geno pointed his arm cannon straight upward as the plane, picking up speed, rolled near him. In a last second decision, he stopped charging and jumped onto the wing of the plane. The plane sped underneath the collapsing Doomship and lifted off just as the hunk of metal crashed into the ground. The giant Bill Blaster began shooting off smaller, but much faster Bullet Bills. They all locked on to the plane and curved toward it, adding extra thrust as they straightened out.

"Geno!" Zelda yelled, opening the door and almost being sucked out. The plane took a dip but quickly leveled itself. It was already flying just above Mushroom castle. Zelda was a little shaken but beckoned for Geno to take her hand so that he could get into the plane.

"Don't worry about me," Geno said, in his usual calm voice. "Just stay inside the plane, close the door, and buckle your seat belt. "It's going to be a bumpy ride." So far, six Bullet Bills were on their tail. Geno charged his Geno Beam, braced himself, and fired it, managing to destroy three Bullet Bills. He then began to charge another beam. Once he fired it, he found out the hard way that these were Smart Bills. They veered away from the Beam, moving in completely different directions from one another, while still gaining on the plane. By Geno's fourth Beam, they were already over the ocean. He could sense his energy being depleted. The Smart Bills were only a few yards away now. He tried his Star Guns but saw that the Bills were dodging their shots rather easily as well. He carefully hopped to the back of the plane, near the tail.

"How close are they?" Zelda called to Geno.

"I'd say less than ten feet," Geno frowned.

"What sort of measuring system is that in?" Zelda asked.

"About three meters," Geno restated, continuing to shoot. "Tell Peach that she'd better get ready for some expert piloting." As he spoke, each Bill began to close in on a certain part of the plane. Two broke away from each other to go for the wings, while the remaining missile sped for the tail. Geno shot at the wing-bound Bills, forcing them to back off. Unfortunately, the center Bill boosted straight for the tail, beginning to show its toothy grin. The second Geno stopped aiming at one Bill to force it one away, the unrestricted Bills sped ahead. Soon it became a balancing act of keeping all the Bills away without letting one get ahead too much.

"Hey, Zelda!" Peach called. "Tell Geno I found the switch for the turbo jets." Without thinking, she flipped the switch.

"Turbo?" Zelda said, looking back at Peach from the doorway.

"Turbo!" Geno repeated. The propellers retracted into the twin engines and thrust began to burst out of the other ends, jolting the entire plane forward. The jolt of speed disoriented the Smart Bills, but caused Geno to lose his footing and slip off of the airplane. Just as he began to fall down towards, he flipped himself so that he was facing skyward and fired off both his Star Guns at the center Smart Bill. Unable to dodge two streams of bullets during its moment of confusion, it was hit and began to nosedive. In a last ditch effort to hit a target, it adjusted its fall so that it aimed straight for Geno.

"Geno!" Zelda screamed. "Peach, he fell off!"

"Oh, no!" Peach exclaimed. She looked through the window and saw Geno and the pursuing Bill plummeting toward the ocean. The nearest island, Lava Lava Island, was already far away on the horizon. Just as Peach was about to turn the plane around, she saw Geno make a peculiar movement. She could have sworn she saw him motion for the plane to stay on course and not turn back. Then, she looked and saw the remaining two Smart Bills reorienting themselves and attempting to speed up, lowering their descent enough so that they were near Geno's altitude. If she slowed down to turn, they were almost guaranteed to hit the plane. Then, she looked back to Geno just in time to see a small explosion. Already, it was a fiery speck in the background. She closed her eyes for a moment and looked straight ahead.

"Zelda," Peach said sorrowfully, as tears gathered in her eyes. "I need you to shut the door."

"Maybe I can hold off them off a bit longer," Zelda argued, looking at the Smart Bills behind them. "If I can just…"

"Please, just shut the door," Peach choked with unusual firmness. Zelda looked at her for a moment. Peach kept her teary gaze straight ahead at the empty blue horizon. Zelda punched the side of the plane in frustration and slid the door closed. She walked into the cockpit and sat in the copilot's seat.

"Isn't there anything at all I can do?" she asked, holding her forehead. Peach merely sighed. "I hate being useless," she said quietly."

"I know what you mean," Peach said with equal somberness. "You can help me worry less by buckling up. Just take that strap and put the metal part into the slot beside your waist." Zelda quietly did as she was told.

Peach looked on the radar and saw that the Bills were coming back up to the plane's altitude, giving Peach some time to think of something. She figured that the missiles wouldn't destroy the plane, but they would definitely put it out of the air. If she could just get to the Southern Sea, there would be a good enough chance to swim to shore. She just hoped that the turbo jets lasted longer than the Bills.

* * *

It had been nearly an hour since they had lost Geno. The Bills had followed the jet-powered plane over two oceans and over mainland twice after the Mushroom Kingdom. The Bills had caught up quite a bit and showed no sign of slowing. The plane on the other hand was nearing empty.

"Zelda," Peach said, worriedly. "That shield of yours…Can you make it big enough to…"

"No, I can't," Zelda answered.

"Can you swim?" Peach asked somberly.

"Well enough."

"Good. We're probably not going to make a smooth landing. I'll bring the plane low so that the impact isn't too hard. We should be near an island in a few minutes." The plane dipped slightly and leveled out close to the water. In moment, an island with a watchtower came into sight on the horizon, which was filled with dark clouds.

"Delfino Airstrip," Peach sighed with relief. "It looks like we won't be taking a splash after all." Suddenly, red cannon ports began to pop up all over the small island. A flurry of Bullet Bills was fired straight at the plane. Peach panicked and began to pull up and turn the plane.

"No, wait!" Zelda said as her ears perked up. "Get to that large island behind this one! We'll be safe there!"

"We won't make it!" Peach said, pulling away.

"Trust me!" Zelda said, grabbing the steering and turning it back toward the island.

"Zelda!" Peach shouted, trying to turn it back the other way. The effect was an out of control plane that totally confused the pursuing Smart Bills and plowed straight through the oncoming Bullet Bills. The two princesses were still fighting over the wheel even when the plane was in flames and one of the jet engines fell off. The Smart Bills backed off completely to avoid the onslaught of their counterparts. The airplane sailed over the airstrip and towards the mainland of Isle Delfino. Once the ladies realized that they had passed airstrip, they felt slightly relieved and let the plane continue. They didn't expect the airstrip cannons to turn around and shoot them from behind, which it did. Peach turned the plane enough to miss most of the Bullet Bills but lost a wing when some did hit. The plane began to spin wildly as it approached the water. Both of them screamed and held onto each other like scared little girls as the plane hit the water.

"Quickly, we have to get to the mainland," Zelda said, blasting away the door as the cabin flooded. Peach soon followed her out of the plane. They were close enough to the island to swim, but Bullet Bills were still blasting into the water around them. The remnants of the plane exploded into a burning wreck when enough missiles had slammed into it. The two princesses swam for all they were worth, despite their dresses slowing them down. As they neared the beach, it seemed as if they had just come out of the shade and into the sunlight. Eventually, the Bullet Bills stopped being fired. Soon afterward, the two washed up on the beach exhausted.

"Well," Peach huffed and puffed. "We made it." Then, they saw the two Smart Bills curving around the firing range of the airstrip cannons and jetting straight toward them. Zelda sat up, still breathing heavily. She raised her hands and struggled to bring up her barrier.

"Come on!" she yelled at the failing magic. "Focus!" A few blue sparkles appeared then fizzled as the Smart Bills began to grin once again. They were only a few yards away now. As Zelda began to work up a glow around herself, it immediately disappeared completely. The Smart Bills suddenly exploded as they reached the transition from the shaded part of the water to the sunbathed part closer to the beach. It was as if they had hit an invisible barrier.

"Did you do that?" Peach asked, mystified.

"No," Zelda said, with an odd sense of confirmation. "I just had a feeling that if we got to the beach, we would be safe. I suppose it paid off." Then, the worn out princesses fell back onto the sand and sighed.


	8. Shamans

**Shamans **

After asking around Delfino Plaza for a while, Peach and Zelda discovered that the majority of Isle Delfino was under the protection of the Shine Sprites. Much like the Power Stars Peach absorbed from her castle, they were the island's guardians and source of power. In fact, Mario had recollected them only a few months ago during another one of Bowser's attempts to kidnap Peach. Now, these shimmering protectors were using their aura to create a barrier around most of the island. The shady area a few yards out into the ocean was as far as the barrier reached. As for the airstrip, the princesses were told that the airstrip had suddenly been marauded by Monty Moles one day. The mechanically gifted creatures soon set up cannons all over the small island.

"It looks like Bowser is already attacking Delfino, too," Peach frowned as the two sat at the edge of the dock.

"At least the Shine Sprites are making it difficult," Zelda said. "They seem to be more powerful than your Power Stars."

"Well, there are more Shine Sprites than Power Stars," Peach rationalized. "Anyway, we should probably find a place to stay for a while."

"I think the first thing we should do is find new clothing. Just look at us."

Peach did notice how their clothing was still wet, wrinkled, and dirty looking. "Well, we just have to get them cleaned and…"

"It's not just that they're dirty," Zelda said, ripping off her golden shoulder pads. "Bowser is still after us."

"Actually, he's only after me," Peach said meekly, kicking her bare feet into the water.

"Regardless, he wants us captured dead or alive," Zelda argued, taking off her silk gloves and golden tiara. "Wearing clothing as exquisite as this is just asking to draw attention. It's bad enough that we're the nearly the only humans I've seen since I was dropped into this blasted world. We don't need people pointing out the 'the two princesses in pink' everywhere we go."

"You wouldn't be in any danger if you just left me," Peach said quietly, watching the colorful fish in the water. "I own the very beach that we had to swim to, so just about everybody knows me. No one is looking for you, not here."

"I don't know that for certain," Zelda sighed, making the discarded clothing fade into a small cloud of sparkles. "Besides, even if I wanted to abandon you, there are two things that won't let me do that. One, Sheik would never forgive me if I left, and I quote, 'so fair a maiden of such extraordinary virtue, innocence, and purity.' Second, I made a promise to help you and I will honor it…princess to princess."

Peach looked at her with surprise and blushed briefly. "Thank you, Zelda…and Shiek. I have an idea, but first, could you put my brooch and crown wherever you just put your things?"

Zelda nodded and with a wave of her hand, the accessories disappeared in another swirl of sparkles.

"Wow, it feels weird not to wear a crown," Peach marveled, feeling the top of her head. "Okay, now take off your dress."

"What!" Zelda exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It'll be like we're wearing bikinis," Peach explained, removing her gloves. "No one will no the difference. This _is_ a beach after all."

"You don't understand," Zelda said uncomfortably. "I just can't take off my dress like it's nothing."

"You need someone to undo it from the back, don't you? Don't worry, I'll take care of it for you right now," Peach smiled, stepping forward.

"No!" Zelda said, stepping back. "I can't take this off because…because…" Then, she whispered, "Because…I don't have a bra on underneath this…I never really needed one unless I transformed into Sheik, and I know for a fact that he won't show any skin."

"Oh," Peach said, as her eyes drifted down toward Zelda's relatively flat chest. Zelda seemed to growl lowly every time Peach did something like that. "I guess you wouldn't need one. Well, I guess we'll just have to buy new clothing." They walked to a door that had a sign hanging overhead with a colorful smiling face and the word "Benvenuto." They entered and saw a variety of clothing and souvenirs all around.

The lone blue-skinned Pianta shopkeeper beamed at finally having customers. Like all Piantas, he was large, chubby, beady-eyed, barefooted and had a big long nose and wore a leaf skirt and a small plant on top of his head. He also wore a white tropical shirt with yellow flowers all over it. "May I help you ladies?"

"Yes," Peach replied. "As you can see, we need some more appropriate clothing."

"Well, you came to the right place," he said. "Just have a look around. The dressing rooms are around that corner." After looking around for a bit, they each grabbed a set of clothing and went into the dressing rooms. A moment later, they shuffled out wearing the Pianta clothing that was massively oversized for the two. Peach was wearing, or rather holding up her pink top and auburn leaf skirt, struggling not to reveal her undergarments too much, seeing as how showing off her shoulders and navel was enough for her. Zelda had to grip onto her blue ocean wave design sundress since the straps were hanging off the sides of her shoulders and the entire thing was dragging along the floor.

"This simply won't do!" Zelda fumed, just catching the neckline as it kept slipping out of her grasp.

"I don't know," Peach said, twisting her face. "I kind of like it…I just wish it weren't so big."

"Excuse me ladies," the shopkeeper said, walking into the dressing area. "Might I make a sug…?" He was immediately met with screams, yelling, and hangers being thrown his way. He ran back and dived behind the counter. "Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean to! I was just gonna' say that you should probably try out the children's sizes!"

* * *

Peach stepped out of the room in the "children sized" version of her previous outfit. Though the leaf skirt was very short, everything fit perfectly. "This is much better," she said, smiling. "At least it's not falling off of me like before." 

"Yes, at least it accomplished that much," Zelda seethed, choosing to stay inside the room.

"What's wrong, Zelda?" Peach asked. "I know the dress might be a little short, but it's no big deal."

Zelda opened the door and crossed her arms as Peach looked upon her and struggled not to laugh. The bottom of the sundress didn't even reach her navel. "This is more than just _a little short_!" Zelda then looked Peach over for a moment. Peach was actually shapelier than her. Zelda took especial note of her more respectable bosom and hip proportions. Then, she looked into the mirror and noticed how flat and skinny she appeared in comparison. Only their waists' sizes stood on equal ground. And here she thought that Peach's proportions had only been an illusion created by the corset on her dress. She could only wonder why Peach had ever worn one in the first place. This only added to her ire.

"It looks fine to me," Peach said, humored. "You can just use the idea I had before. Really, we're on a tropical island. No one will mind."

"Yep, looks fine to me," the shopkeeper said, standing behind Peach. "Nice undies, too. I really like the little triangles…" Peach sent him flying to the front of the store with a single slap to the face.

"I'm surprised at you," Zelda said, still blushing and fuming. "You didn't seem like the type to do that. I'd never expect that kind of strength out of you either."

"Yeah, but after I saw you in battle, I didn't want you to hurt him too badly," Peach explained, smiling too innocently.

Zelda began to chuckle. "Shopkeeper, are you still conscious?"

"I'm okay," he moaned. "I probably deserved that."

"I'll take three sets of these dresses," Zelda said, "as well as three leaf skirts."

"And I'll take six tops and three skirts," Peach said, with equal humor. "You can have three of the tops, Zelda."

"Alright," the Pianta said wearily, typing in the information on the cash register. "That'll be…630 coins."

"Put it on my account," Peach said, handing him a gold card with a mushroom and star design on it.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Zelda asked cautiously.

Peach shushed her. "I only carry around so many coins. Besides, we might be able to take a little vacation here since those Shines are shielding the island for a while." Zelda could not figure out how Peach, after everything that had happened, could be taking things so well.

After leaving the store in their new clothing, they went to the dock to find a boat to Hotel Delfino on Sirena Beach. They arrived just in time to see one of the small, motorized boats float away with a single, hooded passenger and her luggage. Despite most of her figure being concealed by her grey cloak, she stood out since she was obviously a human. The two princesses found themselves staring at her as she quietly sailed away. The figure then caught their gaze and stared back with piercing hazel eyes. She adjusted her hood and looked in another direction as the boat passed under a bridge of buildings and out of the canal.

"Well, I suppose we'll be waiting for the next boat," Zelda said, sitting on the edge of the dock. "You know, I've noticed that there aren't many humans in this world. There was Luigi, I would assume his brother, that woman…and you, yet your father is not. I take it your mother was human?"

"I guess so," Peach said, taking a seat next to her. "Don't think I didn't notice how much taller and…different I am from the rest of the mushroom people. Mom was…the type of person who kept to herself, but she was really nice. Everybody says I look a lot like her."

"Where do the humans of this world come from?" Zelda asked.

"Well, Mario and Luigi were born in the Mushroom Kingdom," Peach said, thinking hard. "But they grew up in Brooklyn, a city in another world."

"And your mother?" Zelda asked.

Peach hesitated for a moment. "…There are plenty of other humans in this world. You just have to look for them." Zelda decided not press the issue any further. "What was your mother like?"

Zelda was somewhat caught off-guard. "My mother? Well…I never knew her. She died shortly after I was born. My nursemaid Impa, and my father, the King of Hyrule, raised me. I hardly know anything about my biological mother." After sitting silently for a few minutes, another boat floated up to the dock. They hopped onboard and began to wonder how it was going to take them to their destination.

A blue screen appeared under the tented part of the boat and stated, "Greetings. Thank you for using Delfino Water Taxis."

"Is this boat talking?" Zelda asked, becoming cautious.

"It must be automated," Peach said. Zelda gave her a quizzical look. "Just watch."

"Please select your destination," the computer stated, as a list of areas on Delfino Isle appeared. If you would like to visit an area on Delfino Isle that is not accessible by water, please select Delfino Airstrip or Ricco Harbor for aerial transportation."

Peach tapped the screen, selecting Sirena Beach.

The computer responded politely, "You have selected Sirena Beach, the home of the four-star Hotel Delfino and casino. The recommended course travels through Ricco Harbor and across Pancia Bay, passing Gelato Beach. Estimated duration of trip is…thirty minutes. Is this acceptable?"

"Mario found a shorter way," Peach smirked, tapping the "OK" button. "He used warps to get to most of the places on this island."

"So, is there a spirit within this boat?" Zelda asked.

"No, but don't worry about it," Peach said, taking a seat. "Just enjoy the scenery. The sunsets are beautiful, especially at Sirena Beach."

As the boat drifted away from Delfino Plaza, they noticed how inactive Ricco Harbor was because of the Shine Sprites' shield and the resulting isolation. In fact, with the exception of the numerous docked ships, it was almost totally deserted. It was so eerily quiet, that only the caws of seagulls could be heard. When they finally moved into the large, open water of Pancia Bay, they could clearly see both Gelato Beach and Sirena Beach. Gelato was the larger of the two, equipped with a few surfboards, two cabanas, and a tower with a large glass sphere at the top and surrounded by three large mirrors. A few people could actually be seen partying and surfing, while the odd-looking blue Cataquacks waddled along the beach. The closer they got to Sirena Beach, the more visible the three-story hotel became, and the more orange the sky turned as the afternoon faded into evening. They also saw an empty boat floating past them presumably back to Delfino Plaza. At that moment, Zelda noticed the large blue, yellow-tipped wheel on an island in the distance.

"What is that thing over there?" she asked.

"That's a Ferris Wheel," Peach said, joining Zelda by the rail. "It's one of the attractions in Pinna Park. See those yellow dots?"

"Yes."

"That's where you get on and ride it all the way to the top and back. You can get a great view from up there."

Zelda squinted her eyes to see into the distance. "It looks like we won't be going there anytime soon. Just take a look at the shade out there." The island was just barely outside the light barrier, which was becoming more and more visible as the sun sank.

"Then, who's running that park?" Peach wondered. The boat came to a stop at in the shallow water near the sand.

"You have now arrived at Sirena Beach," the screen blipped. "Please watch your step as you exit the boat and have a nice day." Peach and Zelda stepped out of the boat and into the cool water.

"You know, I've never been to a beach before," Zelda smiled, letting her feet sink into the sand. "There's something rather…soothing about it."

"I'm glad you like it," Peach said. Yet again, their eyes were drawn to the cloaked woman standing at the edge of the beach, near a few wooden crates. She was looking out at sea, completely unaware of Peach and Zelda.

They walked up the marble stairs, past the beautiful fountains and pools of water, and into the hotel. The lobby had a uniquely mellow lavender and sapphire color. The entrance was a walkway lined with torches over a pool. It led to a centerpiece that had three other shorter walkways, each leading to a check-in desk, a food stand, and a stairway. The two ambled over the walkway, with Zelda taking in the sight. The Pianta at the desk, dressed in a white sailor's uniform, was reading a newspaper with the headline _Mushroom Kingdom No More_.

"Excuse me," Peach said, tapping the bell twice.

"Whoa!" The Pianta shrieked, falling over out of shock. "Hey, we have a customer!" There was a thunderous racket as the manager Pianta scrambled downstairs and knocked the desk clerk out of the way. He had a white mustache, glasses, and a red suit and bowtie along with his leaf skirt.

"Another one!" he exclaimed. "Well, then, let me welcome you ladies to Hotel Delfino, the only place you need to have a relaxing stay on Isle Delfino. We have a world-famous casino, delicious delicacies delivered from all over the island, luxurious accommodations, romantic sunsets…"

"Could we have a room first?" Peach interrupted.

"May I ask how long you'll be staying?" he inquired, opening the check-in book.

Peach glanced at Zelda, who shrugged confoundedly. "Um…do you accept Star Credit cards?" Peach said nervously, taking out her card.

"Star Credits…" the manager mused. "Wait. Now that I think about it, you look a lot like one of our better customers that was here only a few months ago…Ah, Princess Peach!" Peach and Zelda became a little startled when he used her title so brazenly. "You and your friend are welcome to stay as long as you like. Bellboy!"

"That won't be necessary," Zelda said. "Our luggage has already been taken care of."

"Oh well," he said. "Will you two be sharing a room?"

"No," Peach answered.

"Yes," Zelda said simultaneously. They glanced at one another, with Zelda making a suggestive cough.

"Yes," Peach corrected herself, remembering the danger they were still in. "But do you have separate bedding arrangements?"

"Of course…Well, actually, you'd be the first two to use that room. Business hasn't been so great ever since the Shine Sprites had to put up that shield. Our only other guests are a few Shamans. And would you believe the scam they've got running? Twenty-five coins for a fortune! Sheesh! Anyway, here's your key. You have room 2B." The rant about Shamans gave Peach slight suspicion of the guest's identities. Just then, she heard a familiar voice at the fruit stand. A Shaman, wearing a lavender, hooded robe and pink veil with a single blond bang sticking out, was arguing with the vendor.

"Lady, please!" the Pianta vendor said. "I'm just saying I don't know why I should go through all that trouble for a cheat like you."

"How dare you," she fumed, "calling me a cheat! I merely want something to eat."

"You made me pay 25 coins for a stupid light show!" he yelled back. "Nothing even happened."

"In no way was your payment a waste. Please understand; my spells lack true haste. They may activate at any time, perhaps not here. I say, no refunds; let me make that perfectly clear."

"Merlee?" Peach said, walking to the Shaman.

"Peach?" she said, turning around. Zelda was somewhat startled by her appearance. Her face was completely covered in shadow, except for the bang sticking out of the veil and her beady, yellow, glowing eyes "I'm rather surprised to see you. Were you not to join that young Boo?"

"We were, but we ran into some…complications, so we were forced to fly here instead with my plane. Is your whole family here?"

"Nay, we figured it to be too great a risk. Merlow is with Father; their pace remains brisk. All that are here are Grandfather and me. Oh yes, and I must not forget my older sister Merluvlee."

"Your Highness? Commander?" a second blonde Shaman said, coming down the stairs. She wore a plum-colored robe in such a way that made her hood seem more like a cap. Her curly hair was let down and, though she did not wear a veil, there was still an odd darkness that seemed to envelope her skin and made it seem black as night. "Ah, so Grandfather was right…"

"He foresaw this, didn't he?" Peach frowned.

"I'm afraid so," Merluvlee replied solemnly. "You have my deepest apologies. By the time it was clear what would happen, we had already fled."

"Excuse me," Zelda said to Merlee. "You said that your only other family members here were elsewhere, correct?"

Merlee nodded.

"Then, who is that Shaman-like woman outside?"

"You mean the woman staring out to sea," Merlee said. "She is no Shaman, not if you ask me."

"Do not worry about her," her sister spoke. "Let us worry about you two. You must be tired from your journey. Come, let us consult Grandfather on the next course of action."


	9. Calm Before the Storm

**Calm Before the Storm**

Peach, Zelda, Merlee, and Merluvlee sat before Merlon the Shaman and his crystal ball. The mustached Shaman had an outfit that was nearly identical to Merluvlee's. His room complied with the theme and style of the hotel, but there was no bed, only a couch, chair, and table for his crystal ball.

"I have seen many things in my life," Merlon began, staring into his crystal ball. "I foresaw Bowser's rise to the throne as well as the arrival of the Mario Brothers. I even foresaw that our princess would be kidnapped and saved over and over again. But none of those prophecies can compare to the horror of our clouded future."

Zelda remembered parts of her dreams, which had never made any sense to her. Slowly, but surely, certain elements of it, such as Peach and some of Bowser's minions, had filled in a few of the cloudy areas. "What do you see?"

"Much of it is obscured, but what I do see is almost too horrible to speak of. However, there seems to be a set of rules and conditions strung throughout my vision."

"The…Forbidden," Zelda mumbled. Then, she closed her eyes asked aloud, "Could you describe some of the images, please? I must know what my dreams are trying to say."

"Girls, if you would," he motioned to his granddaughters. "Zelda, if you believe your dreams are prophetic, please assist me as well." All but Peach closed their eyes and began to concentrate. The Shamans began to chant and hold up their hands as the crystal ball glowed ominously and floated into the air. Star-shaped lights began to circle along the walls. Peach marveled at the stunning special effects. Once the light show ended, all the psychics made a collective sigh.

Merlon began first. "I have foreseen what I can only call…the Forbidden dream. It seems to be a set of rules that, if broken, shall bring calamity upon all. The first seems to have to do with…ketchup? That can't be right…Well, the images are relatively clear but I still don't understand them. Another one seems to show several people defeating one another until only one remains. I suppose I'll just move on… Ah! This one is obvious. It clearly states that the Star Rod is not to be used for selfish purpose."

"That's one rule already broken," Peach mumbled.

"The next rule seems to deal with…triangles?"

"The Triforce," Zelda said. "I don't think you all will have to worry about that one…"

"Very well," Merlon said. "The next one has something to do with the face of a young man. He has a strange, somewhat intimidating face. Besides that, all that remains in that rule is an inevitable darkness. The next rule…someone utters some form of phrase or chant, magic words perhaps… It leads to destruction…That is all I have seen. How about you, Merluvlee?"

"Ah, yes," she replied. "The prophecy of the stars has shown me the destined path…or at least part of it. Hmm… It leads to Pinna Park, and the mystery of the missing Yoshi's that were known to inhabit this island. However…a dark cloud…no, smog…An evil smog covers Pinna Park. I cannot see what lies within. I also see the Shine Sprites weakening, as this smog grows wider and more pure in its evil. Oh my! If the evil within is not defeated, this island will drown in the darkness!"

"That sounds urgent," Zelda said distantly.

"The Shine Shield is shrinking every second, little by little. It is the only barrier between us and what is presumably Bowser's evil. In only a few days, it will be too small to encompass the mainland and we will all be doomed. I can see nothing more."

Merlee began to shuffle cards in her personal deck.

"Well, what did you see?" Merlon asked impatiently.

"Our princess has visited the land of dreams, yes?" she said, continuing to shuffle.

"If you mean, have I ever dreamed before, then yes," Peach answered, not understanding her point.

"I speak of the land of Subcon," Merlee said, laying three cards facedown on the table. "To succeed in your quest, new items you must don. The fairies are again at war with the 8-bits Club. Go there when you can and they shall take you to their hub. But for now, relax and enjoy your break…for in your future lies great heartache." She flipped over the cards for everyone to see. The first card showed a picture of someone dreaming. The second showed darkness surrounding little crimson fairies and a shining object in the center. The third card showed the classic happy and sad masks that often symbolized drama.

"And you Zelda?" Merlon asked.

Zelda frowned, keeping her eyes closed. "I…nothing. It's nothing. Excuse me." She abruptly rose to her feet and walked out.

"Merlee, how do I get to Subcon?" Peach asked quickly. "Last time, we all just walked through a door…I don't even know if that actually happened."

"It's very easy, I assure you, even ho-hum. You will get there soon when the time has come." Peach thanked her and the others and left to find Zelda. It wasn't long before she found Zelda sitting at the edge of a pool, staring out into the sunset.

"Is something wrong?" Peach asked quietly.

Zelda remained silent for a few seconds. "…No…Yes, something is wrong…but I'd rather not talk about it."

"Does it have to do with what you saw in that prophecy?" Peach asked.

"Please, just leave me be," Zelda said, sounding ready to cry. Peach sighed and began to walk back to the hotel. When she turned to glance once more, she could see Zelda sobbing.

"Great, now there're elves," mumbled an arrogant voice. It was the woman in the cloak. She was strolling past Peach into the hotel. She was noticeably taller than Peach.

"Excuse me," Peach called out to her. The woman stopped and turned around to look at her.

"Oh, it's just you," she said, looking down on her. "What do you want?"

"May I ask your name?"

"I'm afraid not," she said frankly. "No sane person would let themselves be anywhere near a woman wanted dead or alive by Koopa…if they could help it, anyway." She abruptly walked away.

Peach supposed that there was nothing better to do than eat and get ready for bed. After soon finding out that the Shamans were not social eaters, she had a quiet meal by herself in her room. She took a refreshing shower and was in bed just after nightfall. It did not take her long to fall asleep since she had had an exhausting day. Sometime later, she awoke to the sound of showering. A few minutes later, Zelda walked out quietly and slid into the adjacent bed.

"Good night, Zelda," Peach spoke.

"Good night, Peach," she replied.

Peach awakened the next day to the sunlight coming through the slits in the window curtains. She opened them wide and let the sunshine pour in. She felt completely energized and ready for the new day. "Rise and shine, Zel…" she stopped when she didn't see Zelda in her bed. The bed was already made neatly, as if no one had ever slept in it.

"Good morning, Peach," Zelda said wearily from the other room. She was sitting at the dining room table, drinking coffee. Today, she was wearing her leaf skirt and pink top.

"You're up awfully early," Peach said, taking a seat.

"I didn't sleep very well," Zelda replied, sipping her coffee.

"I know what you need," Peach said optimistically. "You need some rest and relaxation."

"Peach, I'm really not in the mood for this," Zelda frowned tiredly.

"Merlee said that we should just take it easy. There are some great places to relax on this island. In fact I know the first place we can go to."

* * *

They sat on the edge of a pier in Ricco Harbor, fishing in the shade of one of the huge ships. The fish were still active since it was relatively early in the morning. All was quiet except for the caws of seagulls and the waves of the ocean. 

"See, isn't this relaxing?" Peach said cheerily.

"I have to admit it," Zelda said. "I do enjoy fishing. It reminds me of those times when Link took me fishing at Lake Hylia. Sometimes we'd fish all day and night just to see who could catch the biggest fish. Of course, he always won. Whoa!"

Suddenly, something began to tug on both of their lines. Despite the crystal clear water, they couldn't see what fish were pulling, since they stayed in schools. They began to reel in the fish, which were fighting back furiously. Peach stood up to get better leverage. Amidst much splashing, she finally yanked out a large orange fish with black stripes. Zelda was struggling much more, though. She was actually walking away from the water, since reeling and pulling was not enough.

"It must be pretty big," she grunted. Peach decided to help her pull. Whatever was pulling was definitely strong. One mighty tug later and the two were pulled into the water. They resurfaced, laughing away.

* * *

"And this is the main garden of Bianco Hills," Peach said, as they strolled through the park area amongst the palm trees. "This is the lake…Mario had to clean the whole thing…and that's the main windmill at the top of the hill." 

"What a quaint little village this is," Zelda said, looking all around. "And you say a giant Piranha Plant actually tried to start trouble here?"

"Mmhmm, but Mario got rid of him…twice!"

* * *

"In this game," Peach said, "you're supposed to smash as many crates as you can before the time limit runs out." They were inside a building with stacks of crates and a lone Pianta with a stopwatch in his hand. 

"Ready…go!" he shouted. Peach jumped on top of one crate and jumped to a higher one until she was at the topmost one. Then, she jumped, flipped in midair, and crashed down, shattering the crate below her. She repeatedly used this hip-drop technique to quickly smash all of the crates. When the last crate was smashed, the Pianta handed her a green mushroom.

"How did you do that?" Zelda asked, baffled by the technique. "I've seen Link smash crates by rolling and tackling into them, but I've never seen anyone use their…posterior like that. And how did you do that gravity-defying flip?"

"I picked it up from Mario," Peach grinned. "Now, you try."

"All right," Zelda said unsurely. When the Pianta signaled, she ran for the nearest crate and less gracefully made her way to the highest stack. She was doing much more climbing than actual jumping. When she was finally at the top, she attempted the hip-drop. Instead, she did a front flip and fell off of the stack completely and hit the ground with a thud.

"Don't give up!" Peach cheered. Zelda tried to pound one of the smaller stacks and merely fell off once again. Then, she decided to try Link's technique. When she rolled into the nearest crate, it cracked but was not destroyed. Adding to that, now she had hurt her head, neck, and back. She stood up and began to charge her energy. Then with a small magical blast, she destroyed the stack of two crates.

"Time's up!" the Pianta called. "Wow, you need a lot of practice."

"I've never seen anyone have that much trouble with a ground pound," Peach giggled.

* * *

"Oooh," Zelda moaned blissfully as she slid into the Pianta Village Hot Spring. 

"Would you believe that hardly anyone else comes here?" Peach sighed. Both of them had their hair in ponytails.

"Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?" Zelda asked, sinking further into the steaming water. "Not even a royal bath can compare to this." She felt as if all of her problems were melting away. The only thing that could have made it more perfect was Link being there with her.

* * *

"And this is Tricky Ruins," Peach said, quickly leading Zelda through a pathway that also opened into a cliff. "This is where the ancient King of Noki Bay used to live. In fact, this whole cliff is full of secrets." Suddenly, there was a rumbling noise. 

"What's that?" Zelda asked.

"Remember how the cliff became concave when we activated those switches? Well, they're resetting, so hurry along." They jogged up the final incline and reached the top of the cliff. There were a few palm trees and a small pond. They took in the majesty of the bay and its shell spires. Then Peach hopped off to the side and landed on a slightly lower cliff. Zelda followed her down. There, they found an old short Noki in a purple seashell waiting by the mouth of the waterfall. He was selling what appeared to be fish bowls.

* * *

They dived into the depths of Noki Bay, wearing the glass bowls on their heads, and were enjoying the sight of all the Nokis just floating around. They were short, Toad-sized, sea creatures in spiral shells. There were sparkles and fish everywhere in the dark, but comforting waters. Zelda was especially surprised by the multitude of gold coins in the undersea town and ruins. She hadn't quite believed Peach when she said that the coins were also life-giving objects that could help them hold their breath longer. The second she picked up a few, however, proved that Peach was right. This was indeed a magical world where things did not have to make sense.

* * *

The two princesses lied back on the sand of Gelato Beach as the waves came in and soaked their toes. They were thoroughly enjoying their fruit smoothie and parfait. Zelda had experienced surfing for the first time only a few minutes ago. She also got to experience the startling, yet harmless nature of the Cataquacks that walked the beach. They were large, circular blue birds with large, green eyes and two legs. They had a tendency to flip trespassers dozens of feet into the air. But Zelda had learned that it could actually be quite fun sailing into the air like that. Peach had even told her about the Wing Caps, Raccoon Leaves, and Cape Feathers that could let anyone soar the heavens. It was a great day. She was even starting to develop a tan. Best of all, it would be a very short boat ride back to Hotel Delfino.

* * *

Once they arrived back at the Hotel, they gambled their coins in the casino's slot machines. Then, after watching the sun set into the horizon, they enjoyed a deluxe meal of potato salad, shroom steak, and Yoshi Cookies in the lobby. It was not long after that they started to turn in for the night. 

"Thank you for such a great day," Zelda said, tossing her leaf skirt into a corner and hopping into bed.

"You're welcome," Peach said, turning the light off. "Maybe tomorrow we can buy some pajamas."

"I doubt that there'll be anything that fits," Zelda chuckled.

"Probably not," Peach giggled. "Sweet dreams."

"I hope so."

* * *

Just off the beach of Delfino Plaza, there was a tiny island with a warp pipe and a single palm tree. The warp pipe was one-way only, assuring that no one could pop out and invade the island. In fact the Shine Sprite's shield had shrunk too much for the pipe to even be within their protection. That didn't stop a small, cerulean submarine from rising out of the water behind the island. A midnight blue Ninji peaked out of the hatch and hopped out. A Fly Guy, essentially a Shy Guy with a small propeller on its head, joined it. Finally, a lantern-wielding Poe floated out of the sub. 

"The pipe's clear," the Ninji said, noting that it was only a few inches beyond the Shine Shield.

"And so is the plaza," the Fly Guy said, surveying Delfino Plaza through binoculars.

"Then, let's get to business, gentlemen," the Poe rasped, dropping down into the pipe. A few moments later, they materialized inside the Plaza. The Ninji led the other two to the red pipe on the roof of a building in Bianco Square.

"I'll take point here," the Fly Guy said, signaling the others to enter the pipe. They materialized on the empty, moonlit Serena Beach.

"Yes, I sense something here," the Poe said. "Is this why your king wishes to end her life?"

"Yeah," the Ninji replied as they made their way toward the hotel. "She looks harmless, but she's got a lotta' power under that pretty dress."

"Then, why not simply silence her through more…conventional means?"

"I'd love to, especially since she…silenced some of my kind a while back. Thing is, she has a really powerful elf bodyguard with her."

"An elf, you say?"

"Yep, so that's why we're using the Nightmare-o-matic." The Ninji threw down a potion and a box-shaped machine appeared out of the smoke. "With this, we can get them in their sleep without getting too close to them. We have plenty of connections in Subcon, so it should be pretty easy. Plus, it doesn't cause too much alarm here. We're saving that for when this shield finally goes down."

"And I suppose this machine is where I come into play?"

"That's right," the Ninji said. "This thing's powered by negative energy, so hop on in." The Poe receded into its lantern, which assimilated with the machine. A picture of its face appeared on the side of the Nightmare-o-matic as the machine activated. "Okay, now to just lock onto the targets…Good." Then, he noticed something wrong. The machine had locked onto Peach and Zelda, but it only transmitting to Peach. It was as if something was blocking it from Zelda. "Well, at least this'll get rid of Toadstool."


	10. Nightmare to Subcon

**Nightmare to Subcon**

_Tip: I may have an encyclopedic knowledge of Mario stuff, but you don't have to. If you come across a monster you don't recognize, check They have plenty of info and pictures. Some of the inspiration for this story came from just browsing that site. (End of plug:)_

Peach was having a quiet, evening dinner alone with Mario. There were candles lit along the walls and a fire flower in a vase at the center of the table white-clothed table. Mario was dressed in his usual plumber outfit. She was also in her usual pink dress. He was quiet as always, but it was his famed "dignified" silence. He seemed to especially enjoy the feast that she had spent all day cooking by herself. She did not need him to thank her; she could see it all over his face…literally. Just being appreciated so much made her feel more special than being a princess ever would. Then, predictably, Bowser crashed through the wall and grabbed her.

"Bwa ha ha!" he guffawed, holding Peach over his shoulder. "Sorry to crash your little get together, but I think the princess would rather eat with me."

"Let me go!" Peach screamed. "Mario, help!" Inexplicably, she became tied up in rope and was in a corner. Instead of being in the romantic dining room, they were all now in dank castle full of lava pits. Mario had grabbed the fire flower and was using its power to battle Bowser. The plumber dodged all of the flames that Bowser sent his way. During the entire time, Mario was blasting fireballs into the huge reptile, beginning to blacken Bowser to a crisp. When Bowser tried to tackle him, Mario hopped onto his head and bounced behind him.

"C'mere, you little!" Bowser snapped, turning around with a slash of his claws, which Mario nimbly dodged. Mario threw a punch and a kick and did an uppercut that knocked the Koopa King on his back. Mario then grabbed his tail, spun him around, and tossed him onto a fragile bridge over the lava. Bowser got to his feet and began to blast more fire his way. Mario dodged all of the fireballs, grabbed the ax at the end of the bridge, and cut the chains and ropes, sending Bowser into the lava.

"Thank you, Mario!" Peach squealed. As soon as he untied her, she gave him a kiss on the cheek and giggled at his silly reaction.

He spun around a made a peace sign, shouting, "Ya-hoooo!" Suddenly, the scenery turned dark and everything, except Peach herself, disappeared.

"What? What's going on? Mario? Mario, where are you?" She abruptly began to fall further into the darkness. A black door appeared below her and opened in time for her to fall through it. As soon as she came out of the other side, the door slammed shut and disappeared. She also found herself falling horizontally now, through a blue sky. She landed on a springy platform that bounced her into a strange, but familiarly green-striped land.

"There she is! Fire, fire!" a voice yelled. She got up and ducked down just in time to dodge small, bullet-like pellets that had been fired in her direction. When she looked up, she saw a legion of Snifits. They wore the typical Shy Guy robes in black, and fired the bullets out of the mouths of their gasmasks. Peach hopped over this burst of ammunition and ran away as fast as she could.

"This isn't what's supposed to happen!" Peach cried to herself. When she heard another burst of ammunition she dived out of the way. She couldn't see any grass to pull up any vegetables. They had always been there the last time she had been in Subcon. She stopped when she saw cannons on wheels, called Autobombs, rolling her way. Added to that worry was the presence of Bob-ombs being dropped by red hawks known as Albatosses. She picked up the first Bob-omb she saw and tossed it toward the Autobombs, blasting them to bits. She picked up one of the more intact cannons and began to fire it at the Snifits. Once they scattered, she focused on the Albatosses, or rather the explosives they were carrying.

"They're definitely better armed than before," Peach said, choosing to hold onto the somewhat heavy cannon as long as it was useful. Then, she heard a mechanical noise from behind. A Shy Guy was walking a small mech her way and raised its arm-mounted cannon. She fired away at it, but the pellets merely bounced off of the mech's armor. Seeing that, she raised the cannon to shield her from the flurry of Bullet Bills that were fired at her. When the flurry ended, the mech ejected a clip out of its elbow and prepared to fire again into the smoke. Peach ducked out of the smoke and leapt onto the mech. She pulled the Shy Guy out and got in.

"Ha, ha, ha!" the Shy Guy laughed, running away. Peach saw the red countdown numbers in the cockpit and hopped out just as it exploded. The blast sent her tumbling a small distance.

"That hurt," she winced. "This must be what Merlee was talking about. It's definitely more than a dream." She stood up in time to be struck in the head by a slingshot pellet. "Ow!" She saw the trio of Sling Shys and ran straight at them. She pounced onto the closest one and tossed it at the other two, knocking them all out. Suddenly, Beezos, winged Shy Guys with pitchforks, began to dive out of the sky toward her. Peach sighed, and broke into a run once again.

"Now, what did Merlee say?" Peach thought. "Fairies…8-bits Club…they'll take me to their hub." She looked around saw that there were no fairies around, just Beezos. Then, she saw what was ahead of her and stopped. There was a line of monsters just waiting for her. There were Bob-ombs, cannon-mouthed reptiles called Birdos, gigantic Chain Chomps, fire-spitting lilies known as Pansers, Piranha Plants, Ninjis, and Shy Guys of all sorts. The Beezos stopped and hovered around her.

"Give up, Princess!" a black Shy Guy called out to her. "We're under orders to take you in dead or alive. You don't stand a chance against us. There's too many of us who're just begging for an excuse to take you out."

"What did I ever do to you?" Peach asked innocently.

"Don't pretend you don't remember! Someone even had the nerve to make a video game about it! Does Super Mario Brothers 2 ring a bell?"

"Oh…Well…You all were attacking innocent Subcon. We couldn't just let you take over like that."

"Shut up! Now, what'll it be? I'm only giving you to the count of five. They don't call me Death Guy for nothing."

"Hey, what's that over there!" one of the Beezos shouted, pointing in another direction. When everyone looked, it snagged Peach and carried her off.

"Aw, crud," Death Guy sighed, unable to believe he fell for such an old trick. "After them!"

"Where are you taking me?" Peach demanded.

"You'll be safe soon," the Beezo replied. "You were sent here by a Nightmare-inducing machine."

"Are you…a Subcon?" Peach asked. The Beezo took off its mask and revealed its cute, beady-eyed face. It was a Subcon fairy. They had faces very much like Toads. "They're catching up."

"Don't worry about them," the Subcon said, focusing ahead. "Help will be here soon." They had to start dodging Bullet Bills and pellets being sent their way. As they began to fly over a gorge, a rainbow of sparkles could be seen in the crevice. "Here they are." The fairy then nose-dived into the gorge, behind all the sparkles. Peach squinted her eyes and saw tiny wings on each small ball of light.

"Are those other Subcon?"

"They're fairies, but not Subcon." The rainbow of fairies created a wall of protection against the pursuers. One blue fairy that was noticeably larger than the rest, but still smaller than the Subcon's head, flew toward the two and seemed to study Peach.

"Hey! You're Peach, aren't you?" she asked.

"Um, yes," Peach said nervously.

"Listen, if you want to get back to your world, follow me." The blue fairy flew off, deeper into the gorge, lighting the way.

"We must hurry," the Subcon said. "Our allies won't last long against that force."

"Look, don't worry," the blue fairy said confidently. "They'll be fine. We don't die so easily."

When they entered a cave that could only be seen because of the fairy's blue aura, they could see that the black walls seemed to have sparkling water that was crystal clear and yet it changed colors perpetually. The mere sight of it gave off the illusion that they were in an underwater cave. Large crystals pointed out of the floor near the walls. The white marble floor changed in time with the water. There were columns holding up some sort of structure at the end of the cave. It seemed to be a fountain of some sort because there was a shallow pool of water within the structure that seemed to illuminate the eerily beautiful chamber. The Subcon fairy let Peach down and flew out of the cave.

"Listen, see that fountain?" the blue fairy said. "That's your ticket out of here. And the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can help the others. Use the power that you collected a little while ago."

"Power?"

"Geno said that you absorbed a lot of energy a while ago."

"Geno's okay!" Peach yelped. "Where is he?"

"You'll run into him again, but we have more important things to do!"

"Okay," Peach said, stepping toward the pool cautiously. She cupped her hands and bowed her head in concentration. She gasped as a giant star floated out of her body and hovered over the pool of water. It broke into dozens of smaller stars that flew into the source of the pool. There was a bright flash and a disembodied giggle. Peach was startled by the laugh that followed.

A giant of a woman surged out of the pool. Her skin was as solid black as the outside of the cave, yet her three-pronged hair was shimmering white. She wore a sapphire skirt and a silver breastplate. Her eyes were yellow and empty, yet friendly. She floated above the pool, sitting with her legs folded. "Ah, so you are Princess Peach Toadstool." Her voice was soft and slow, yet it had a powerful echo.

"Are you the Queen of the Fairies?" she asked, in awe.

The woman laughed. "You flatter me. I am merely a Great Fairy. I have been waiting here for you, guarding a treasure that you require." She raised her hands and a second pair of arms revealed themselves from behind her back, with cupped hands that shined a light on Peach.

Peach raised her arms into the air. A pair of brown leather gloves floated above her cupped hands. "You got the Gard Gloves!" the blue fairy announced. "Now you can pick vegetables and no matter where you are… Wait a minute…"

"That's it?" Peach asked, a little disappointed. "I was expecting something a little more useful. Mario usually gets a hammer or some jumping shoes or…"

"Something better than this!" the blue fairy complained. "Link got treasures that were neater than this… You mean you were protecting these things?"

"Calm yourselves," the Great Fairy giggled. "Such an ability is more useful than you might think. You might pick something other than vegetables. Furthermore, they blunt any damage you might take using your hands."

"I guess that's useful," Peach said, slipping them on. "But…they're so…so…"

"Ugly," the blue fairy said. "They don't look right on her at all."

"Fear not," the Great Fairy said patiently. "Though they appear to be mere gardening gloves, they are as strong as steel gauntlets. And, if you will them to, they can be as comfortable as silk. They are adjustable and were created with fashion in mind. Alter them to your liking." Peach made a simple thought and they turned into the white silk gloves that she usually wore.

"I see," Peach nodded.

"Now, I believe I am needed," the Great Fairy said. She took Peach in her arms and flew out of the cave with the blue fairy in tow. She grew to magnanimous proportions and held Peach in her hand.

Back at the cliff, all sorts of ammunition were being fired into the wall of fairies. Their collective aura shielded them from most of the onslaught, but the concussion of the blasts were chipping them away, breaking their unity. Of course, they rejoined the group as soon as they could, but they were being knocked away too quickly. As soon as a hole had been sustained within the fairies' ranks the airborne enemies, like Beezos and Albatosses, began to approach. Before they could get to the hole, however, the Great Fairy rose out of the gorge, blocking their path.

"What is that!" Death Guy cried, staring up at the colossal woman. She was big enough to bite off a piece of the cliff and devour the army at once. In fact, she had only risen far enough for the cliff to be at her waist.

"I am the Great Fairy of the Depths," her voice boomed. "Leave the Subcon in peace or face the wrath of the darkness. Tell your masters that they shall not have this land so easily."

"Fire!" Death Guy yelled. The army shot everything they had at the demi-goddess, but it all exploded harmlessly on her armor. "Not at her armor, you idiots!" They redirected their aim to any place but her armor.

"Foolish mercenaries," she frowned, charging herself with energy. She shielded her face with two hands and raised her other hands, which contained Peach, out of harms way. Then, a few shots managed to hit her underarms, causing her to burst into schoolgirl laughter.

"She's ticklish!" Death Guy yelled. "Aim for the pits!" Everyone aimed directly into the gorge and began to fire. "Oh, for cryin' out loud… I don't get paid enough to deal with this," he groaned at everyone's incompetence. He threw down a potion and walked through the door. The Great Fairy shot dark energy out of her eyes that turned the entire army into a puff of smoke. Then she shrank down to her original size and let Peach down onto the cliff.

"Wow," Peach said, almost speechless.

"I merely moved them to subspace," the Great Fairy said, choosing to float inches above the ground. A black door appeared nearby. "That door will lead you back to your normal dreams and or reality. Your next destination is on the mysterious island to the south. There you will find my little sister. She is not as powerful, but she should be able to sustain the Shine Shield at its maximum power indefinitely. She will tell you where to go next. I must warn you to beware the Princess of Evil. Though you two are no strangers, she is much different from before."

"I understand," Peach nodded.

The Great Fairy huffed and glared at the sun. Then she turned to the blue fairy. "Navi, I have but one last request. Tell the Subcon that they are safe. Then, you may return to your previous duties. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must return to the depths. This sunlight is no good for my sensitive skin." She leapt off the cliff and back into the black gorge.

"Tell Zelda I said hi," Navi chirped before immediately zipping into the distance. Peach smiled and walked through the black door. As soon as it shut behind her, she was immediately tied up in rope once again and fell to her knees. She was on top of a tower amidst boiling lava, lightning, thunderclaps, and a battle between Mario and Bowser.

"It's-a Mario time-a!" Mario called, smashing Bowser in the head with his hammer. The Koopa King fell backward, defeated.

"Oh, Mario!" Peach squealed, as he untied her. She gave him a tight hug and a peck on the nose. Then, she heard screaming and abruptly awakened from her dream.

* * *

"What do you mean _connection lost_!" the frustrated Ninji yelled. The Poe spun out of the Nightmare-o-matic. 

"There appeared to have been a great deal of fairy magic protecting her," it rasped. "It's time to do things the old-fashioned way."

_Note: Really edgy, somewhatdisturbing chapter ahead..._


	11. Nightmare or Prophecy

**Nightmare or Prophecy**

_Warning: Just within the boundary...hopefully..._

Zelda stood on the sandy shore of Delfino Plaza. She had learned a short while ago that the beach area was called Peach Beach, named after its owner. The salty ocean wind blew through her hair and her lilac, ankle-length skirt. She was barefoot and wore an open blue vest over a buttoned pink blouse that barely contained her ample bosom. Unexpectedly, someone wrapped their arms around her waist from behind.

She smirked. "Hello to you, too."

"Staring out to sea again?" Link asked, leaning his chin on her shoulder. "If I had known that you liked the beach so much, we could have moved to one sooner." He squeezed her gently and kissed her neck.

"Hmm, Link," she giggled and blushed. "Suppose someone is watching? We'll never hear the end of it."

"If anyone has a problem with it, they can deal with me," he said, running his hand through her hair. "Otherwise, they can just watch."

"It just seems so…dirty," she giggled, blushing a deeper red.

He turned her around and pulled her close, with a mischievous grin. "That's why it's fun." Her resulting gasp was enough to pop a few buttons off her blouse.

"Oh, Link!" she gasped, wrapping one leg behind his and kissing him. When she wrapped her other leg around him, he was off-balanced and fell backwards. The ocean waves washed over them and receded.

"Gotcha'!" he chuckled, twirling her panties with Triforce designs and slinging them into the distance.

"Oh, but I've got you!" she grinned, holding up his boxers with heart designs and tossing it to the side. She sunk down onto him and, once another wave came and receded, they were within one another's passionate grasp. Conveniently, there was no one in sight to disturb their lovemaking. Even the birds that had previously populated the town and beach were conspicuously absent. It was almost as if the town, or even the island, had been totally abandoned. Link took no notice since he faced Zelda and the sea. She took notice of the ominously silent setting, but could not care less, since she was with her lover.

Her attention _was_ gained by a shrill scream that was not her own. She saw a familiar, redheaded, young lady, wearing a simple white dress and yellow handkerchief wrapped around her neck, trip around the corner of a building. Zelda recognized her immediately as the only friend she ever had before she met Link seven years ago. Malon had often visited Zelda while either she and or her father delivered milk to the castle. Malon saw Zelda and Link, who seemed to be oblivious to everything except Zelda, and tried to run toward them. Unfortunately, one of the mutant Koopas busted through the building's wall, grabbed her by the top of her skull, and slammed her into the ground.

"Zelda! Link!" she screamed, struggling against the creature. "Help! Please!" She eventually bit down on the monster's arm, which was enough to release herself. But just as she got to her feet to run, a Stalfos skeleton warrior rose out of the ground and slashed at her. Zelda could clearly see a bloody gash across her torso. She fell back and scampered around the two monsters and managed to get within a few feet of Zelda. She suddenly stopped with a yelp and fell face first into the sand. The Stalfos's sword was sticking out of her back. She lifted her tear-stained face of the sand and looked pleadingly to Zelda, while Link remained oblivious.

"Ma…Ma…lon…" Zelda was barely able to say as Malon reached a hand out to her and Link.

"She means nothing to me," Link spoke, as if Malon were not even present. "You're the only one for me." Malon had a face of painful shock. Then, she stared pleadingly into Zelda's eyes, though her own were stinging from the sand and salt water. Zelda stared back, though her embrace on Link tightened.

"It's me, Malon," the redhead sobbed. "Don't you see me in pain?" When she saw Link persist in ignoring her and Zelda's frozen stare, it became evident what was going on. As the Stalfos stepped on her to remove its sword, Malon spoke under her breath, "Even if you don't love me, I always will…" She yelped as the sword was yanked out of her back. She was picked up and thrown back to the plaza area. The Koopa grabbed her once again and slammed her into the wall. She screamed violently until both the Stalfos and Koopa began to hold her against the wall and savagely beat her.

Throughout the entire scene, Zelda was horrified, and Link took no notice at all. Despite the sight of her childhood friend being pummeled by monsters, Zelda could neither say nor do anything about it. She embraced Link as much as he embraced her. She returned each of his searching kisses and motions. When she tried to say something useful, all that came out was either a lusty moan or an adoring exclamation. When she attempted to break her grasp, her hold tightened instead.

"Zel…da," she heard Malon call out painfully. She was slumped over against the wall, clutching her stomach. The Koopa grabbed her by her hair and began to drag her back through the hole in the building. When she began kicking and screaming the Stalfos kicked her in the jaw, silencing her. All three disappeared into the hole and out of Zelda's sight. She was finally able to let go of Link and sit up, while Link held onto her hips.

When Zelda managed to look back toward the town, she could see Saria running from something and in their direction. A Stalfos rose out of the ground ready to grab her. She turned another way and ran behind a building and out of Zelda's sight. The Stalfos turned toward Zelda and stared directly at her with its glowing red eyes. Then, it began to pursue Saria.

"Zelda? Link?" another familiar, yet shocked and strained voice called from behind her. She turned and saw Ruto, the Zoran Princess, standing in ankle-deep water and holding her injured side and looking miserable. Her whitish-blue skin lacked the shine that it usually gave off. The loose, gown-like fins on her arms and hips were torn in bloody dangling shreds and twitched unusually out of sync with her breathing. Her breathing itself was strained, as if she was having trouble outside of the water.

Zelda found herself scowling at Ruto for some reason. Link took absolutely no notice of Ruto, even as she stood directly in front of his face.

"Link," Ruto cried out to him tearfully. "Can't you see me? Or hear me?" As she took a step forward, Zelda abruptly rolled Link and herself over so that she was facing Ruto and abruptly blasted the Zora with her magic. Ruto fell back into the water and scowled at her. She got up once again to reach out to Link, but was caught in a telekinetic chokehold by Zelda. Zelda had no idea why she was doing this to her fellow princess, but could not stop herself.

"I'll never stop loving you, Link!" Zelda growled, directing the statement to the Zora.

Ruto realized what was going on and struggled to remove the force that was choking her. Zelda actually found herself glaring at Ruto and tightening the chokehold. Ruto glared back at her and rasped, "You…bitch!" before Zelda closed her grasp into a fist and crushed the Zora's neck.

Zelda mentally gasped. She had just killed a friend and fellow princess. She watched Ruto's body float in the shallow water with that cold, dead stare. She couldn't bear to watch it any longer and looked back toward the plaza. Saria ran around the corner and into the open, apparently still being chased. She saw Zelda and Link and, despite what they were doing, ran straight for them.

"Link! Zelda!" she screamed, in tears. When another Stalfos popped out of the ground, she scampered under its legs and continued her stride.

"Zelda, I…" Link began.

"Don't hold back!" Zelda yelped, holding onto him tighter. She looked back to Saria, who had almost gotten to them. Then, Zelda stuck out her arm and began to charge energy. Time itself seemed to slow to a crawl. Saria began to skid to a halt as a beam of light was shot out of Zelda's hand.

"Zelda!" Saria screamed, unable to dodge the speedy blast in time.

"Zelda!" Link yelled. She screamed in ecstasy and horror all at once, unable to silence herself as the beam of light magic burned through the green-haired Kokiri girl's chest.

"Zelda!"

* * *

Zelda opened her eyes, screaming her lungs out. She stopped once she saw the dark blue ceiling of the hotel room. Then she felt something squirming around on her. 

"Could you let me go, please?" Peach asked uncomfortably.

"Peach?" Zelda said slowly, coming to her senses. She had her arm and legs wrapped around Peach, with one arm being held off in another direction as if she was aiming a magical blast. She then released Peach, whom abruptly backed away and onto her own bed. Then, Zelda looked over herself and saw that her chest was no longer full as it had been in the dream. "What happened?"

"At first, I thought you were having a nightmare…" Peach said uncomfortably. Zelda could see her blushing, even in the dark. Zelda's face soon turned red as well. "Peach, I'm so sorry," Zelda apologized. "I didn't mean to…"

"Don't worry about it," Peach said quickly. "Um…I'm just going to go take a nice looong shower, okay?"

A dark star-shaped object burst through the window and landed in front of Peach. A black, lantern-wielding spirit in rags appeared soon after.

"It's you!" the Poe exclaimed when it saw Zelda.

"A Poe!" Zelda said with equal shock.

"Poe?" Peach repeated. Then the Ninji tackled her to the ground and got ready to strike her. She grabbed onto it and tossed it into the wall. The Poe swung its lantern at Zelda, who rolled off her bed and slashed at it with her hand.

"Eek!" the Poe shrieked. It floated back and turned invisible. Meanwhile, Peach pulled a turnip out of the floor with her newly acquired gloves and smashed it over the Ninji's head, knocking it out cold into a corner. The Poe saw that they had timed their attack badly. With the discovery of Zelda's presence in mind, it flew out of the broken window. Zelda wasted no time in transforming into Sheik.

"Of all the times to transform," Sheik sighed, shaking off the sleep. "A little self-control goes a long way, Zelda." He leapt out of the window and after the Poe. It speedily flew toward the spot on the beach where it had warped there. "What are you doing here, evil spirit?"

"Master Ganon will be very interested to know your whereabouts," it cackled as it approached the warp point. It was struck down, however, by a flurry of needles to the back just before it could reach that point. It dissolved into smoke and the lantern shattered on the ground to reveal the Poe's true, though totally defenseless form.

Sheik walked up to it, shaking his head. "I just wish I could have my own body again." He transformed back into Zelda, who captured the spirit in an energy prism.

"Why are you here?" she demanded.

"Why should I tell you?" it laughed. "There's nothing more you can do to me."

"I may not be able to destroy you…" Zelda began.

"You can't kill a ghost," the spirit taunted.

"But you've caught me in a bad enough mood to try," Zelda growled, shrinking the prism.

"Ah! Okay, okay!" the Poe shrieked.

Zelda stopped its contraction and said, "Now, answer my question."

"Master Ganon has formed an alliance," it said meekly. "I was sent to power a contraption that would extinguish the life of a Princess Toadstool. We were hoping to get you, too."

"You did that to me!" Zelda yelled furiously.

"No, no, wait! It had no effect on you. It only worked on Toadstool, or at least partially, but something blocked us from your mind entirely."

"Besides that other creature and yourself, are there any others with you?"

"No…"

Zelda frowned irritably and squeezed the prism. "Don't lie."

"Okay, okay! There's one more!" the Poe said in a panic. "He's only watching our entry point."

"Where did you come from and how did you get past the shield?"

"There is a warp pipe on an island just off the coast of the town. One may return to the town after using any warp pipe in this country. We merely used that one to get inside and a second that took us directly to this beach."

"Where did you come from?" Zelda repeated.

"I…I can't tell you that…" the Poe muttered. Zelda squeezed the prism once again. "Please, have mercy! She will do horrible things to me if I tell you!"

"Who?" Zelda demanded. "Let's who you fear more: her or me…" When the Poe stayed silent, she began to crush it within the prism.

"Zelda, stop!" Peach yelled from behind. "That's enough!"

"Quiet!" Zelda shouted back. "You don't know what this thing tried to do!"

"Yes I do!" Peach shouted, grabbing Zelda and trying to break her vice grip. "But that doesn't give us a right to torture it like this!" She eventually overpowered and restrained Zelda on the ground, leaning most of her weight onto Zelda's back.

"Get off of me!" Zelda thrashed. "You don't know what I've been through!"

"Shh, calm down," Peach said gently, despite Zelda's persistent resistance. "You're right. I don't know what happened to you in that dream. But remember, it's _just_ a dream. If you'd just stop and relax for a moment, we can think about what we need to do next. I'm going to let you go now, okay?" Peach released her and backed away.

Zelda slowly sat up and took a deep breath. "I apologize for going off like that. However, that wasn't _just_ a dream. It felt too real. I remember everything too clearly. Either it was a nightmare brought on by this spirit…or it was a prophecy. But none of my prophecies were ever anything like that."

"My dream was kind of both," Peach said. "Remember when Merluvlee told us that the destined path leads to Pinna Park? Well, the Great Fairy of the Depths was in my dream and said something about the island to the south. She also said to beware the _Princess of Evil_. I think we should go there as soon as possible. More enemies will come when these don't return."

"None of the boats are running at this time of night," Zelda said, in thought. "We can't just swim there. The entire island is bound to be well guarded. We would need a boat at the very least."

"Let's ask that Ninji…if he's still alive…"

When they arrived at their room, they found Merlee holding up a card in front of the Ninji just before it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Merlee, what are you doing here?" Peach asked.

"A few extra star points never hurt anyone," Merlee snickered. "After all that commotion, I was curious as to what had been done… Is what you have there in your hand, Zelda, a ghost? I will pay handsomely for it, indeed a fee of the utmost."

"Must you rhyme every sentence like that?" Zelda complained.

"Can you tell us the best way to get to Pinna Park?" Peach asked.

"I suppose a boat would do it," Merlee shrugged. "I'm not the best at prophecy, I must admit. In fact, I made up everything I said last night. T'would be too embarrassing to be exposed as one with spells, yet no foresight."

"But everything you said came true," Peach argued. "Well, except for the heartache part, anyway." Zelda frowned at the statement. "But it was that dream that gave me these gloves."

"Still, in the morning, seek the advice of my sister or grandfather," Merlee said. "Attempting to rouse them now…well, I wouldn't bother. I will place a seal of protection upon this beach. It should allow you a good night's sleep, my dear Peach."

"Well, thank you," Peach said, smiling now that the situation was slightly less complicated. "Um, I think I'll be taking that shower now." She walked into the bathroom and closed the door.

Merlee looked down at Zelda, who wondered what she was staring at. Then, Merlee muffled her giggle. "Perhaps you should consider a change of clothes. It must feel strange with underwear as soaked as…"

"Get out of my room," Zelda said tersely. "Take the ghost with you."

"Do not worry, for you have not in the least lost my esteem," Merlee said, obviously smiling under her veil as she took the prism and stepped toward the door. "Everyone, including me, has experienced a w…"

"Get out!" Zelda shouted.

_Note: If you're experiencing shock/awe, then I've done good. If you're so messed up you'll never read this story again, I've done bad...and you're probably a pansy._


	12. Unveiling

**Unveiling **

Peach was in a pink top and orange leaf skirt. Zelda wore her pink Pianta dress-turned-tank top and jungle green leaf skirt. It was morning, and the princesses had sought the advice of Merlon and Merluvlee. After gazing into their crystal balls, and with some collaboration, they came to a conclusion.

"You must confront the false-shaman," Merlon said. "If you can convince her to help you, you will have your solution."

"Hmhm, and by convince, we mean blackmail," Merluvlee added with a giggle. "Go and expose her secret. She is at her usual spot."

"What secret?" Zelda asked.

"The stars tell us that Peach will know," Merlon said. Peach gave a clueless look. They exited and came across Merlee, sitting just outside the door, laying down cards and switching them around.

"Were their words of any use?" she asked, still focusing on her cards.

"So far," Zelda answered, scowling at the mystic. She was still irked at Merlee for teasing her. Furthermore, her constant rhyming annoyed Zelda. But what had been bothering her ever since she first saw the woman, was the way her face, like the other Shamans, was hidden in an unusually dark shadow.

"Deuce," she muttered, tossing out a playing card that had somehow gotten into her deck. "Keeping this barrier up is more strain than I thought. I don't suppose they mentioned you taking a yacht?"

"No," Zelda said, staring at her hood and veil. She motioned for Peach to continue outside while she stayed behind for a bit. Peach raised an eyebrow, but continued downstairs. "If you don't mind me asking, why do you cover yourself so?"

"It's merely our traditional wear," Merlee said, flipping the cards over and reshuffling them. "Besides, I feel that it highlights my hair."

"May I see your face?" Zelda asked directly. Merlee looked up at her questioningly. "I've been curious ever since I first saw you." Merlee stood up and went inside the room, leaving Zelda feeling as if she offended her. A moment later, Merlee and her sister came out of the room.

"Is it true that you wish to see our faces?" Merluvlee asked. Zelda nodded slowly. "Ah, then, if you would reveal Sheik's face, we would be glad to expose our own. Have him come to our room."

Peach approached the cloaked woman as she stared out at the ocean from her beach chair. "Excuse me," Peach said meekly.

"You again, huh?" the woman said, glancing at her dismissively and turning back to the ocean.

"I was told that you might be able to help my friend and me get to Pinna Park."

"Hmph! Whoever said that deserves to be shot out of a cannon. Even if I had the means to, what makes you think I'd do something as insane as that?"

Peach was frightened by her abrasive tone, but held her ground. "You know this place won't be safe long. In fact, a Ninji and some other creature attacked us last night."

"That would explain the noise," the woman murmured. "Even still, I'm not afraid of a couple of dinky monsters. It takes more than that to frighten the likes of me."

"Who are you?"

"None of your business."

"Have we met before?"

"There was the other day…."

"I mean before we came to the island."

"I don't remember meeting you before that."

"Are you sure?"

"I think I'd remember meeting the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom," the woman said curtly.

"You aren't a Shaman, are you?"

"I never said I was."

"What are you hiding?" Peach cried.

"My fist, that's what," the woman warned. "Now if you don't want that pretty little head of yours planted in the sand, you'd better back off."

"I don't want to fight," Peach said, stepping back.

"Then, go away!" Peach got the message and walked back up to a juice hut outside the hotel. She thought for a moment and got an idea. She walked quietly behind the woman. Then, she charged up her energy. The image of a giant sheep appeared above the woman and bonked her head, instantly putting her to sleep. Peach looked around to see if anyone saw what she had done. With the area clear of witnesses, she slung the woman over her shoulder and slowly carried her back up the long set of stairs back to the hotel.

When she got inside the hotel, a few people looked her way questioningly. She made a stupid smile and said, "She just had a few too many drinks." Amongst a few chuckles, she continued to carry the woman. When she got her to the flight of stairs, the woman began to stir. Peach put her down and used another Sleepy Time spell to send her back to dreamland. She managed to get her up to their floor and heard giggling inside Merlee and Merluvlee's room. She was curious about what was going on, but carried the woman into her room. Then, she laid the woman on her bed. After getting some towels, she began to tie her arms and legs to the bedposts.

"Wha…What the!" the woman exclaimed, awakening to her restrained state. Peach placed a turnip in her mouth to keep her relatively quiet. Then, she began to remove the cloak. The woman struggled as much as possible but couldn't move enough to stop her at all. She had tanned skin, somewhat long dark brown hair wrapped in a bandanna, a sea green tube top, and puffy white pants.

"Hmm," Peach thought. "You _do_ look familiar…kind of like…what's her name……………………………………………Captain Sunny, Soupy, Sippy…"

"Patooie!" the woman spat out the turnip. "It's Syrup! Captain Syrup!"

"You'reone of the peoplewho stole that golden statue of me years ago," Peach recalled. "You were the leader of the Brown Sugar Pirates…What happened?"

"A fat, greedy wacko named Wario," Syrup growled. "He destroyed my entire fortress and devastated my men…twice. The last name we went by was the _Black_ Sugar Pirates."

"Well, now you can help us get to Pinna Park," Peach beamed.

"Are you really that dumb?" Syrup exclaimed. "You knocked me out, dragged me to your room, and tied me to your bed like some kind of freaky sex object!"

"Oh, but I'm going to let you go," Peach said cheerfully.

"And then, I'm going to kill you!" Syrup exclaimed.

"What?"

"I'm a bad guy, remember? I don't let stuff like this slide so easily. And I'll be damned if I start now by doing something as suicidal as taking you to an island that's probably heavily armed and teeming with monsters."

"No need for cursing," Peach said nervously. "So, what were you staring out to sea for? You looked like you wanted to go there."

"I'm waiting for help, stupid. I made a call to some associates of mine to pick me up. They'll take care of whatever's on that island like it's nothing."

"How long ago did you call?"

"About two weeks," Syrup sighed. "No one saw that whole Bowser-assaults-the-world thing coming. The signal probably got jammed or something."

"At that rate, the shield will be down before your friends ever get here," Peach frowned. "I know it's scary, but we have to try…"

"Don't talk to me like I'm a child," Syrup said, attempting to sit up, only to be held down. "And let me out of these blasted restraints so I can smash your face in! You're just lucky I don't have a crew! If they were here, we'd show you." A thought came to Peach.

"If you're Captain Syrup, that means you're a criminal. And if you're a criminal there's probably a reward on you."

"Don't even think about."

"But, if you're willing to help me," Peach said tauntingly, "I could always forget that you're the terror of the seas and ringleader of the Brown and Black Sugar Pirates."

"You think you can blackmail me!" she screamed.

"Oh, well," Peach said. "I guess you'll just have to be locked in prison until Bowser and his minions come and…well whatever they do to the conquered."

"Fine, fine!" Syrup fumed. "I'll take you to the stupid island. Just shut up about the pirate thing and untie me."

"You promise you won't attack me?" Peach asked.

Syrup closed her eyes angrily and cringed. "What did I do to deserve this? Me, Captain Syrup, scourge of the Great Sea, leader of the most infamous band of pirates in the world…I promise…stupid, spoiled, little…"

"Cross your heart and hope to die?"

"Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!" Syrup screamed. "Now, untie me already!" Peach complied and untied the towels. Syrup got up and snatched back her cloak, wrapping it around herself once again. "My ship's in Ricco Harbor. Let's go."

"Hold on," Peach said, following her out of the room. "We have to wait for Zelda."

"Hurry up and look for her!" Syrup yelled, walking down the stairs. "I'll fetch a taxi."

"Zelda, where are you?" Peach whispered, having no idea where to begin looking. Suddenly, Merluvlee and her sister walked out of their roomholdingSheik's arms around themselves. Sheik seemed bashfully embarrassed, but the Shaman sisters were giddy.

"Whoo!" they cheered and laughed. They let Sheik go in front of Peach and pranced back to their room merrily.

"What was that about?" Peach asked, watching the sisters tease and taunthim.

Sheik blushed as the Shamans giggled. "…I'd rather not talk about it."

"Good luck, Sheik," Merluvlee winked.

"Bye bye," Merlee cooed, blowing him a kiss. They then turned to one another, giggled once more, and closed the door behind them.

"…Anyway, did you confront the woman," Sheik asked.

"Uh, yes," Peach answered, still thinking about what was so funny. "We're going to Ricco Harbor first."

* * *

Syrup had yelled at Peach enough to keep the ride to Ricco Harbor quiet. She glanced at Sheik's outfit often, but made no comment. Once they reached the pier they all got out and looked around.

"I'll call her," Syrup said, taking out her remote control key. There was a quick beep somewhere amongst the boats and a small, black racing yacht cruised in front of the pier. The entire thing was black and full of bolts along its hull. Even the windows were black.

"Isn't that a bit conspicuous?" Sheik asked. He inwardly noted the accuracy of Merlee's prediction of a yacht.

"Would the trans rather be shot out of a cannon?" Syrup asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Excuse me?" Sheik said, taking offense.

"Calm down, you two," Peach said, stepping onto the vessel. "This will do just fine. Besides, the cannon in Delfino Plaza is broken. We only need this to get to the beach."

"If she's a pirate like you said, how can we truly trust her?" Sheik asked, glaring at the woman.

"Well," Peach said, looking up in thought. "You remember how the Shine Shield repels evil, right? If she was evil, she wouldn't be here."

"In any case," Syrup said, hopping on, "don't think I'm a goodie-two-shoes. I'll make a quick drive-by and kick you off."

"Hmph," Sheik grunted, folding his arms as he stepped on. He and Peach moved to the back, while Syrup took her place in the cockpit at the helm.

"You might want to hold on to something," she smirked, firing up the engines. "She's a fast one." The boat surged forth instantly, nearly tossing Sheik and Peach out. It began to raise its bow out of the water and quickly neared the Shine Shield border. As soon as it passed through, explosions went off all around the boat.

"What are those?" Peach shouted over the explosions, as the boat was rocked.

"Torpedoes!" Syrup shouted, swerving around the ones in front. Sheik hopped onto the roof of the pilot's cabin to get a better look at the floating bombs. They were popping up everywhere and setting one another off. Sheik collected a few needles and tossed some to torpedoes that were a safe distance in front. The resulting chain reaction cleared the path of explosives.

"How's that?" Sheik said, peeking into the cabin.

"Not bad for a landlubbin' tranny," Syrup smirked. As they neared the beach, a single cannon, manned by a Monty Mole far away from the giant blue gate, began to fire Bullet Bills towards the boat.

"Get ready," Sheik said to Peach. When the boat suddenly turned parallel to the beach, Sheik nimbly jumped out and took out a few Bullet Bills with his needles. Peach landed next to him gracefully a second later, almost as if she had floated out of the boat. Sheik ran straight for the cannon, dodging the clown-faced missiles the whole way. When he got too close to the cannon, the mole hunkered down inside and closed the hatch. The cannon began to pop out Bob-ombs at an even faster rate than it had been firing Bullet Bills. Sheik backed away cautiously.

"Let me handle it!" Peach called, ripping a turnip out of the ground and tossing it at one of the bombs. Instead of deactivating, it turned red and began to charge after her vehemently. Taken by surprise, Peach bent down and backslapped it, causing it to explode on her hand.

"Peach, are you alright!" Sheik exclaimed, running to her.

She winced as he took her hand. When they looked at it, they saw that the glove wasn't even singed. "Hmm, I guess it does double as armor." She then began to smack around the other bombs causing them to harmlessly explode on contact.

While she handled the remaining Bob-ombs, Sheik tossed a Deku Nut into the cannon. The cannon soon backfired when it tried to force out another Bob-omb. The resulting explosion blasted the mole out into the sea. Then, the cannon seemed to cough out a key. Peach picked it up and noticed the absence of the giant sunflowers that had populated this part of the beach. She frowned and looked to the gate.

"The Great Fairy in my dream said her sister is in there somewhere," Peach spoke, as they cautiously walked to it.

"You mentioned something about a Princess of Evil," Sheik said, taking out his large knife.

"I don't exactly know what to expect," Peach said, putting her crown back on top of her head. "But I think I might know who she is."

"How did you do that?"

"What, the crown?" Peach smiled innocently. "Let's just say I learned a few tricks in my dream." To seemingly prove her point, her white gloves transformed into fingerless pink gloves.


	13. A Day at the Park

**A Day at the Park**

Sheik and Peach burst through the door with needles and turnips ready. The park looked completely abandoned. Yet, all the rides were up and running. The roller coaster tore through the air in loops like always. The Ferris wheel spun slowly as they had seen from Sirena Beach. The Pirate Ships swung and made full rotations every so often. The Yoshi-Go-Round spun slowly with its carousel music and smiling, plastic Yoshis.

"Something isn't right," Peach said worriedly. Then, they heard a small grunt. "It came from the Yoshi-Go-Round." They peered toward the carousel and approached slowly.

"See anything out of place?" Sheik whispered.

"Yes," Peach whispered, somewhat frightened. "One of those isn't a Yoshi…In the back, the ones with teeth." Amongst the Yoshis, there were several other large reptiles. Some were too sleek and lizard-like. Others were too scaly and rough. The problem with all of the standouts was their armor and appearances that were anything but cute.

"Lizalfos and Dinolfos," Sheik sighed, narrowing his eyes. "Get ready to use those gloves." He tossed his needles at the carousel, flushing out the four growling reptiles. All stood on two legs, had chest armor, and brandished swords. The slender Lizalfos quickly came forward first, one of them leaping to the attack. Sheik parried with his large knife, which was arguably a small sword, and stabbed at one of the beasts. It leapt back, lunged forth again, and began to circle.

The other focused on Peach, circling around her and flicking out its tongue. Peach had never seen anything like these creatures. When she tossed her turnips at it, it was irritated when the first plunked into its face, and it slashed the second turnip. Peach shielded herself against its slash attacks with her gloves and countered with three smacks to the face, which knocked it back. When it leapt at her angrily, she sidestepped and smacked it hard, knocking it out cold. Meanwhile, Sheik used his whip to wrap up his opponent's feet and finished it off with a stab to the heart.

The flames belched from the Dinolfos singed both Sheik and Peach. Sheik ran through the flames and attempted to strike one with his knife. It hopped back and began to circle him, thrusting its sword at him occasionally. The other Dinolfos approached Peach and swung its sword wildly at her. She dodged what she could and blocked the rest. When she swung at it, it smacked her hand away and headbutted her. She was stunned just long enough for it to cut her.

"Ow!" she yelped. Then, she boldly rushed it with her palms, hurting it more than she thought she would. She then did a can-can kick, a backhand, and uppercut it with a pirouette. It stumbled back and roared at her with another jet of flame. She ran through the flames with her arms in front of her and backslapped it again. It was stunned and seemed somewhat insulted, but Peach continued to slap it around.

Sheik was having a little more difficulty, since his target kept hopping around and spitting flames. He eventually put away his whip and threw needles. Being pestered by the small, but sharp objects riled it up enough to approach him. He did a low kick to off-balance it, then a high kick, and a quick cut across its torso. He jumped behind it when it tried to burn him and snapped its neck. By the time he looked over to Peach, the Dinolfos was running away with red hand imprints all over its face.

"That wasn't too hard," Peach said triumphantly.

"Peach, you're hurt!" he said, running to her once he saw the cut along her body.

"Oh, yeah," she remembered. She raised her arms and healed both herself and Sheik. Every time they had been harmed since he first met her, Sheik and Zelda sensed that something wasn't right about the manner in which they were injured. Whether it was the Battle of Toad Town or simply a gash on Peach's stomach, they could not put their finger on what was odd about everything.

Peach began to wander over to another sort of ride, known as the Clam Cups. "Don't wander too far," Sheik warned.

"If we can open these up," Peach said, "we might find something useful." She strained to open up one of the clams, but it was so tight that she could not open it more than a few inches.

"Allow me to assist you," Sheik said, grabbing onto the shell. He struggled just as much to open it. Before he let it shut, Peach lodged her crown into the opening. She gave the lodged crown one good kick, which popped the shell open completely.

"Nothing in there," Peach frowned. She repeated the process with each shell. Once the last shell was open, there was a little ditty played as if to signal something.

"Klllkllkllkllkll…" There was a sound that was half growling, half clicking. Suddenly, a giant red crustacean burst out of the center of the ride, sending Shiek and Peach reeling away. "Ahhh! Toadstool! I've been waiting for this!" It's voice was deep and snarling, matching its crab-lobster monster appearance. It's bulging, yet slit eyes looked ferocious, as its short antennae searched the immediate area. It's mouthparts clicked away. It grabbed one of the clam cups in its thick claw and effortlessly tossed it at Peach, whom Sheik tackled out of the way just in time to save her from the attack.

"Take this, foul beast!" he yelled, tossing a flurry of needles at the crustacean. They bounced off of his hide harmlessly. "What!"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" it laughed cruelly, slamming its claw on the ground in delight. "Your pitiful attack is no good against the likes of me."

"But this is!" Peach yelled, throwing a turnip at the creature.

"Ah!" it groaned as the turnip slammed into its face.

"Clawgrip is weak against raw vegetables, just like all the other monsters from Subcon!" Peach explained to the bewildered Sheikah. She then began to furiously uproot and toss turnips at the crab.

"No! Stop it!" it cried, attempting to shield itself with its claws.

"Keep going!" Sheik cheered her on. As the vegetables continued to strike him, his shell began to crack. It managed to pick up a pair of clam cups and tossed them at Peach. She dove out of the way, ripped another turnip out of the ground, and tossed it at Clawgrip in one fluid motion.

"Aaaahhh!" Clawgrip groaned, finally keeling over.

"That was a peculiar weakness," Sheik commented. Suddenly, the ride began to collapse into the ground. They jumped outside railing, letting Clawgrip fall into a pit with the rest of the ride.

As the wreckage hit the bottom, there was a low growl. An even larger monster, this one a giant spike-shelled orange crab monster, crawled out of the hole. A slightly larger duplicate that was black instead followed it out soon after. Both were simply massive, easily taking up three times the area of Clawgrip. Both had faces that were hidden inside the darkness of their shells, with a similar appearance to the Shamans. The smaller, orange crab, called Crusty, had two glowing yellow eyes that could be seen in the dark shell. Its larger black counterpart, Starcruster, had glowing red eyes instead. They said nothing, only growling occasionally, and blinking at the two humans.

"More crabs…" Sheik said, taking out his knife.

"Sheik, wait," Peach said, stepping away from the threatening monsters. "Their shells are too hard for that. We need fire, and lots of it." Sheik understood and transformed into Zelda. She began to cast one of her fire spells, but was smacked hard by the Crusty's rock hard claw. Peach rushed into the beast's face and slapped it several times. It flinched and arched its invisible eyebrows before slamming both of its claws together in a heavy clap, catching Peach in between. She fell where she stood.

"Burn!" Zelda said, holding out her flaming hand. The Starcruster smacked her this time, and followed up by smashing its claw into her while she was on the ground. Despite the crushing power of its attack, she rolled out of the way to dodge its next attack, while Peach regained her composure and dodged the Crusty's slow attacks.

"Zelda, catch!" Peach said, tossing a fire flower her way. "Absorb its power!" Crusty grasped Peach in its claw and began to squeeze her.

Zelda caught the item and held it tightly, feeling the power flow into her. Her clothing turned blood red and her skin tanned slightly. She hopped back to avoid another swipe from the Starcruster and, as she slowly floated down, focused her energy to the point that she was engulfed in fiery energy. Just as she landed, she launched a speedy fireball at the Crusty, which dropped Peach upon impact.

"Your fire magic should be enhanced now," Peach said, quickly healing Zelda and herself.

"I noticed," Zelda said, charging energy into both her hands. She lobbed balls of fire at the crabs, which growled upon impact. The Crusty actually burnt to ashes. The Starcruster, however, surged forth to attack as Zelda continued to assault it. Even Peach was tossing turnips at it. Zelda raised her now fiery shield in time to blunt its attack, but was knocked back several feet. Peach continued to toss the nearly useless vegetables at the crab as it turned to face her and raised its claw. In her fit of picking and tossing vegetables, she managed to pull out a Bob-omb and throw it at the Starcruster, blasting it into stardust.

"How did you do that?" Zelda asked.

"The gloves," Peach said, looking at them. "They're what let me give you that fire flower." The hole where the Clam Cup ride had collapsed into had a bright light shining out. The two prepared for another fight. Unexpectedly, a mint green spiral shell floated out of the hole, appearing to be inhabited by an unconscious Noki.

Peach carefully tapped on the shell. "Hello? Are you okay?"

"Mmph!" a voice yelped, as the shell shook. The head, arms, and legs of a Noki girl popped out. She wore miniature spiral seashells that matched her shell as barrettes even though she had no visible hair. "Finally, someone came to save us! I'm Plucky of the Buckies. Please, help the others."

"Where are they?" Peach asked.

"I know that Lucky is near the top of the Ferris Wheel, but I'm not sure about Ducky." As soon as she said that, the swinging Pirate Ships began to fire cannons at them.

"Wait outside the gate!" Zelda ordered. As the Noki ran for the gate, Zelda took Peach's hand and took her behind the Yoshi-Go-Round.

"The Pirate Ships are too dangerous right now," Peach reasoned. "If we go behind that wall over there, we can go up the back of the Ferris Wheel and be safe from the…"

"I know," Zelda said calmly, peaking around the Yoshi-Go-Round, which was quickly being destroyed by cannon fire. "I saw this in a dream days before I arrived in this world." She took Peach along as she dashed from behind the ride to the shade of an artificial cliff behind the Pirate Ships. The brick wall that supported the Ferris wheel had water streaming down the back into a small, shallow pond and there were wire meshes all along to help maintenance personnel get to the top. What kept the princesses speechless was the presence of a hanging garden of spiked vines and Piranha Plants as well as a few Spinies crawling along the wire mesh.

"What now?" Peach asked, seeing something else crawl into the shadows at the top. Zelda responded by shooting down all of the Spinies and Piranha Plants she could reach with a flurry of fireballs.

"Let's go," she said, hopping onto and grabbing the wire mesh to climb up. Peach silently followed as Zelda blasted away all the remaining enemies. After much climbing, they reached a ceiling with a square of wire mesh in the center. A large shadow passed over it and the two glanced at one another. Zelda blasted through the wire mesh to scare away the source of the shadow and they climbed through. They were directly behind the center of Ferris wheel in the open air.

"What is that!" Peach exclaimed upon seeing a giant Blooper, named Gooper Blooper. It had eight, long tentacles and a face blackened by slime. As soon as it saw them, it raised its tentacles to crush them. The princesses dived away from each other, just as the tentacles bashed into the pavement. Zelda tossed a fireball into its face, only angering it. It raised its tentacles above her, forcing her to dive away once again. Each time she threw a fireball, Gooper Blooper focused on her and attempted to flatten her.

"I don't think that's working," Peach called out to her worriedly. She picked out a turnip and tossed it at the squid's backside. It bounced off harmlessly, not even getting its attention. Zelda stopped throwing fireballs, since they weren't helping. Gooper Blooper calmed down and simply focused on her, letting its tentacles wave around the relatively small platform.

"Well, I don't remember anything about this in my dreams," Zelda said with bitter humor. "Are there any impossibly silly solutions that you aren't telling me?"

"I think Mario beat it by stretching its lips like a rubber band and letting it snap back," Peach said, trying hard to remember.

"You're kidding…". Peach ran around the monster and into its face. It stared at her curiously but was aggravated when she grabbed onto its puckered lips and pulled. Its tentacles flopped around maniacally, with one accidentally slamming into Zelda. Her fire element was negated and she returned to normal. As Peach stretched its lips farther away, its tentacles rose above her and pounded her into the ground, leaving cracks along the pavement. It's lips had been stretched but they slowly returned to normal. Zelda pulled Peach away from Gooper Blooper to check her.

"Ow," Peach moaned, in a daze.

"Hurry and heal yourself before it attacks again!" Zelda said, glancing back at the monster.

Peach shook her head and got to her feet. "I forgot. We have to get rid of the tentacles first. Blast it in the face again."

"I lost the power of the fire flower," Zelda said, as Gooper Blooper tauntingly puckered its lips at them.

"Just use your normal fire spell, then," Peach said, moving away from Zelda.

"What ridiculous strategy is next?" Zelda asked herself. She waved and a fireball floated toward Gooper Blooper. With a quick sweep of her hand, it ignited in the squid's face, instantly enraging it. It raised its tentacles to slam her and she dived out of the way just as they crashed into the ground. Peach leapt above them, flipped in the air, and flattened them all with a hip-drop.

"Now, go for its lips!" Peach yelled, grabbing onto as many tentacles as she could. Zelda grabbed Gooper Blooper's lips and pulled them away. Meanwhile, Peach pulled the tentacles away. Gooper Blooper shrieked as its arms and lips began to approach their limits. The tentacles soon snapped off, and twitched around on their own. Now, it was helpless as Zelda continued to pull its lips to an unbelievable length.

"Uungh!" Zelda grunted, struggling to keep stretching its mouth. Eventually, they slipped out of her hands and snapped back into Gooper Blooper, sending it flying into the ocean horizon. "Whew! I knew it. Another ridiculous weakness."

"Very good!" Peach cheered, holding. Another light beamed out of the hole in the platform. This time a bubblegum pink spiral shell rose out of the light and landed before them. A Noki, similarly dressed to the last one, popped out.

"I'm Lucky of the Buckies," she said. "Thank you for rescuing me. Please, rescue Ducky."

"Do you know where she is?" Zelda asked.

"Well, since you destroyed the Buckies and the Yoshi-Go-Round, and I'm here at the Ferris Wheel…my guess would be that she's at either the Roller Coaster or the Pirate Ships." The Pirate Ships had never stopped blasting and could still be heard in the background.

"What's a roller coaster?" Zelda asked.


	14. Mystery of Pinna Park

**Mystery of Pinna Park**

Zelda followed Peach up the hilly path, careful to avoid the nearby cannon explosions. Peach had explained that the roller coaster was a popular ride that was fast and full of loops. Zelda saw the tracks and loops and began to think about going for the pirate ships instead, but it was too late now.

"All we have to do is take a peek at the inside of the car," Peach assured her. "We don't need to actually ride it."

"That plane ride was bad enough," Zelda mumbled. Soon enough they reached the boarding area, which had a colorful roof and a rock wall. There was a single car that was big, circular, and had small flaps on the sides. Peach pulled herself onto the edge to look in, but the flaps were making it difficult. There did not seem to be any doorway for easy entry.

"Could you give me a boost?" Peach asked. Zelda pushed her over the edge, landing her face-first inside of it. "Whoa! That's enough! I can't get out!" she said, kicking her legs in the air.

"Goddesses," Zelda sighed. She tried to pull Peach out by her legs but she seemed to be stuck. Zelda stepped onto the narrow pink track, holding onto the part of the car where the flaps were not. As her feet began to slide along the sides of the track, she pulled herself up so that she was kneeling on edge of the car. She carefully stepped inside to help Peach when she noticed that the car was slowly beginning to move along the track.

"I think the safety bar locked me in," Peach said, still upside down. "Hey…Are we moving?"

"I'm afraid sooo!" Zelda exclaimed as the coaster rolled down the first hill. As they careened down the track and approached their first turn, a large _chainless_ Chomp burst out of the rock wall and onto the rail. It then began to skid down the rail, with sparks flying following Peach and Zelda's car.

"ROWF ROWF!" it barked as it made the turn.

"Peach, we have a situaaaation!" Zelda's stomach jumped as they went down a small hill and began to climb a tall hill. "There's a Chomp following us."

"Don't worry," Peach said, still stuck upside down. "It can't reach us all the way up here on the ride."

"It's on the track!" Zelda cried as the Chomp quickly neared their slowing car.

"What!" Peach screamed, kicking her legs in the air. "Is there anything you can do?"

"I don't knooow!" Zelda wailed again as the car went down the steep hill and turned high above the pool of water below. She sunk down into the car to settle her leaping stomach. "Who invented this insanity?" Zelda muttered.

When the Chomp reached the other side of the hill it began to roll involuntarily, picking up speed. "ROWF ROWF!" it barked again. It followed the car down the track to the point that it was close to the ground and went under a higher part of the track. The Chomp barely made it under the higher rail. They were close enough to the Pirate Ships now to be fired on. The shots had not been made with their speed in mind so the cannonballs hit the Chomp instead, nearly knocking it off the track. The shells merely made its spinning more chaotic.

"Zelda, save yourself!" Peach yelled, still struggling to get loose. "You can jump out of the roller coaster and…"

"Aaaaaaah!" Zelda screamed, hunkering down into the car as it made a very high, twisting loop that ended above the hole where the Buckies had been. "Stop this thing! I want to get off!" It was no help to her when the track immediately went into an even steeper, twisting loop. Zelda's head was spinning and her stomach was turning. Fortunately for her, the track was leading up a long hill back to the boarding area. Unfortunately, the Chomp, though struggling to stay on the track, was still following them.

"Now's your chance!" Peach shouted. Zelda groggily saw that they were heading back to the starting point. Still feeling unsteady, she stood up and attempted to pull Peach out of the harness. As the car continued to slow down, Zelda stood on top of the car and pulled harder, while the dizzy Chomp stopped spinning and simply followed them up the rail, chomping the whole way.

"A promise is a promise," Zelda grunted as she continued to pull, while trying not to look up her dress. "Just don't blame me when Sheik starts looking at you differently."

"I don't mean to be such a burden," Peach apologized, trying to assist her by pushing away from the floor.

Zelda took a moment to blast a fireball at the approaching Chomp. The Chomp paused and turned red hot with anger. Then, she returned to pulling. "I was speaking of your unmentionables."

"Oh!" Peach yelped, closing her legs and attempting to straighten out her skirt.

"Blast!" Zelda cursed as they neared the boarding area. "We're going to be in trouble if we don't get you out soon. Shield yourself as best as you can!" She charged her hand with magical energy and hacked away at the harness. Even when her hand went numb from pain, she continued to strike the harness. Sparks and magical sparkles jumped out of the car as she continued to strike. They were passing the boarding station now. Finally, the harness broke. The Chomp was only a couple of feet behind them. Zelda pulled Peach out of the car and they dived into the water under the swinging Pirate Ships. The Chomp mistakenly derailed itself and smashed into the Pirate Ships, sending everything into the water and finally silencing the cannon fire and barking.

The two princesses broke the surface of the water gasping for breath. "Peach, are you okay?"

"I'm okay. Thank you, Zelda."

"Hey, you two," came a voice from a nearby palm tree. It was a Noki girl in a cool blue shell and matching outfit. "I'm Lucky of the Buckies. You kinda destroyed our park…but thanks for saving me anyway."

"Were you even imprisoned?" Zelda asked, frowning.

"No, I was just hiding," she giggled, taking out a large yellow key. "But anyway, take this key to that pool over there and…what else…? Oh yeah, use the power of the stars…or something like that. Thanks again!" Then, she sprinted toward the entrance.

"I just hope there aren't any more roller coasters," Zelda mumbled, pulling herself, and then Peach, out the water. They wrung out their hair and walked toward the other pool. It was knee deep and had fountains on the edges. At its very center was a small yellow dome. After they waded to it, they tried to jam the key into it. When that did not work, Peach figured it to be a switch. To Zelda's amazement, she jumped above it and did a ground-pound, flattening it. It shifted into a star shape.

Peach took her position on the star pad and said, "Oh, great Power Stars, help me break this cursed seal and find the Great Fairy of this island…Stars, give me strength!" Her pink aura appeared and briefly turned yellow as a giant Power Star rose out of her and circled her, spreading sparkles all around. Strangely, a black keyhole appeared in midair.

"This world never ceases to amaze me," Zelda said, shaking her head. While Peach maintained the keyhole, Zelda inserted the oversized key. She was startled when the keyhole expanded and absorbed both of them. Suddenly, she found herself falling through a white nothingness.

"Don't be afraid," Peach said, falling beside her calmly. "It's just like a warp pipe." They suddenly pierced the white nothingness and entered black space. There was a bright sun high above, yet it seemed as if it were night time since the there were sparkling stars far into the distance in all directions but down. Somehow, the two safely landed on a block of wood floating in space. There were various other blocks, some wood-like or plastic, floating around in space, some of them spinning and shifting. They all looked like oversized toy blocks. This and the bottomless pit beneath them disturbed Zelda. Then, she looked into the distance and noticed strange designs that looked like doodles that had been drawn by children floating around behind the stars. Some resembled items that she had encountered in the Mushroom World such as mushrooms, fire flowers, and stars. There were many cute train track doodles meandering among the designs. For her, however, it was more creepy than cute when she saw a few animated train doodles silently traveling the tracks, puffing out clouds of smoke.

"Where in Nayru's name are we?" Zelda spoke in bewilderment.

"It looks like a special area," Peach said, not nearly as bothered by the surroundings. She looked to the two oversized nails sticking out of the wood block they were on and got an idea. Without an explanation, she climbed onto the head of one nail and ground-pounded it three times until it was completely flattened.

"What _are_ you doing?" Zelda asked. Peach said nothing and went to the other nail and pounded it into the ground in a similar fashion. Once it was completely flattened, a green mushroom swirled into existence above her and disappeared into her.

"Ah, that's better," Peach said, stretching.

"This world is going to be the end of my sanity," Zelda sighed.

"Okay, all we have to do is get to the other side of this obstacle course," Peach explained. Zelda looked at all the moving platforms and blocks moving over the pit. Zelda frowned and transformed into Sheik.

"I think this will be a more appropriate form," he said, walking to the edge of the block, where an orange block was floating up and down. "Shall I carry you, Your Highness?"

"That's very kind of you," Peach answered graciously, "but I can take care of myself when it comes to things like these." Then, she effortlessly jumped onto the platform, which Sheik also promptly jumped onto. It rose higher up until there was a long, rectangular, slowly spinning, wooden block with a few oversized spikes on top. They hopped onto the block and ran along it, careful not to slip off as it spun. The giant spikes proved to be bothersome walls, but they quickly got to the end. After that, they had to jump onto a pole and climb it to the top. Sheik made sure not to look up her skirt, even though she didn't notice him at all. A rotating cube floated toward them, allowing them to jump onto it and run to stay on top.

"Exactly what caused the formation of this place?" Sheik asked, realizing how ridiculous this was.

"I don't know," Peach said, keeping pace. "I do know that Mario had to go through a lot of this sort of thing to collect the Shine Sprites. Either Bowser set this up or it was already like this to hide Shine Sprites." They jumped to other rotating cubes and finally reached a wooden block with a red pipe on it. Without a word, Peach instinctively jumped inside. Sheik silently followed her.

They reappeared in a similar area. Instead of a nighttime scene, it was vaguely late afternoon. Instead of random doodles in the background, there was an actual colored background that depicted trees, bushes, and a few flowers. It still appeared to be drawn with crayon, but at least nothing was moving. The path floating over the abyss also appeared straightforward. There were sandy blocks lined up with no gaps. In the distance, they could see a row of orange rectangular platforms. They appeared to be darkening until they turned black and disappeared for a moment before reappearing in their bright orange form. At the very end was another wooden platform with a palm tree near the edge.

Sheik spoke, "It appears that we'll need to hurry across that section just as it reappears to make it across…Each platform seems to disappear every 5 seconds and reappear 2 seconds later."

"Let's worry about that when we get there," Peach said. They stepped onto the first sandy block and immediately heard the sound of sand falling. "Oh no…"

"Run!" Sheik said, grabbing her hand. They ran across each block as they collapsed behind them. Peach was unable to run as fast as Sheik, so he was not running at his top speed. Fortunately, the sand blocks were collapsing at slow enough rates for them to reach the other side in plenty of time. Unfortunately, the timing was poor. They reached the first orange platform just as it was darkening.

"What should we do?" Peach asked as they stopped at the last disintegrating sand platform.

"Risk it!" Sheik said, hefting her over his shoulder. He bolted across the blackening platform, reaching the next just as the previous one disappeared. His dash placed his face mere inches from the ground, but gave him much speed. He sped across the next blackening platform and jumped as it disappeared. He landed on the final blackening platform and did a short dash before jumping into the air as it disappeared. As mighty as his jump was, he knew it would not be enough to reach the final platform. As he began to fall towards the abyss, Peach seemed to be carrying him.

"Don't worry; I've got you," she said, holding onto him. Sheik could see sparkles in their wake. They floated smoothly to the final platform and landed safely.

"How did you do that?" Sheik asked, with his eyes wide open.

"I've always been able to float short distances," Peach smiled innocently.

"And when were you planning to tell me this?" Sheik asked.

"Sorry," she giggled.

"Don't worry about it…What should we do now? There are no pipes or obvious portals here." Peach walked to the lone palm tree and whacked it with a slap of her hand. A blue switch with a "!" floating in the center fell out.

"There," Peach said, jumping on the switch and flattening it. A pipe appeared and she hopped in.

"Of course," Sheik sighed, following her.

They reappeared in a dark, giant coliseum. The sky appeared to be in a state of cloudy twilight. All the seats were empty, except for a few oversized sunflowers staring at Sheik and Peach. The wilting sunflowers looked miserable and were barely able to hold their heads up. Even the largest one, seeming to be forcibly planted in the stone seating, looked as if it would die any minute.

"I'll assume this is where the Princess of Evil dwells," Sheik said, looking around.

"You'd assume right," a new voice echoed all around them. A troupe of iguana-like Dinolfos stormed into the coliseum and surrounded them. Most were armed with their standard swords. A few had lances. Two carried Bullet Bill Blasters.

"Who said that?" Peach asked as Sheik took a guarded stance.

There was a distinct growl and a thud behind them. They turned around and saw her. She had changed quite a bit since the last time Peach had seen her. She was taller and slimmer. She was no longer the bratty little Koopaling that Peach had known before. She seemed to have matured. Her spiked shell was gleaming red, matching her lipstick. She had apparently grown medium-length hair, having the same fiery hue as her father. She stood tall, smirking before them. The only clues to her identity were the gold rings on her wrists and ankles and the trademark oversized pink and white polka-dotted bow she wore on her head.

"Wendy?" Peach said. "You've changed so much…but I only saw you a few months ago. What happened?"

"Jealous?" the matured Koopaling taunted. "Daddy gave us all an upgrade. I wanted this and he gave it to me…along with the job of taking over Delfino. It's only a matter of time before this entire vacation spot is all mine."

"So, you're Bowser's daughter," Sheik commented. "He must have used the Star Rod to change you. I had heard that he was a hideous beast. And they say that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"SHUT UP!" Wendy yelled angrily. "I was a beautiful, sweet little girl. I just thought it was time for a little change. It's too bad the other princess here didn't just marry Daddy and become my new mother. Oh, well. It's her loss. GET THEM!" The Dinolfos charged after the two.

"Be careful," Sheik said, throwing several needles at them.

"I will," Peach replied, yanking two turnips out of the ground and tossing them. The two Dinolfos running for her sliced them apart, unimpeded. "Yipe!" Peach yelped, blocking their sword strikes.

Sheik was dealing with most of the Dinolfos. He ran at them with his knife, blocking their immediate strikes and slashing back. When one tried to sweep him with its lance, he hopped over the lance and kicked the lizard in its face. While it was stunned, he grabbed the lance out of its claws and swept it off its feet. Then, he immediately finished it off with a strong stab of his knife. Sheik spun around, knocking back all the Dinolfos, and tossed it at one of them, skewering it. He heard a burst and dived out of the way just as a pair of Bullet Bills exploded where he had stood. He had to run when the blaster-carrying Dinolfos kept taking turns firing at him. He drew their fire towards the other Dinolfos, managing to get a few blasted away. None seemed to care much. When he threw needles their way, they merely blocked with the blasters and continued firing.

Peach was having trouble with the two Dinolfos attacking her. They had backed her against a wall and were slashing away. Her arms were beginning to sting from blocking so many strikes. Finally, she pushed forward with her hands outstretched and shoved them back. Her upper arm had been cut in the process, but she continued to push them back until one stumbled away. She parried the counterstrike of the remaining one and slapped it several times. The other one lunged at her, knocking her down even though she had blocked it. She rolled back to her feet in a crouching position and smacked at the nearest Dinolfos's feet. It was sent tumbling into the air and fell on its face. She jumped at the other Dinolfos and spun around in the air, hitting it several times with her arms. She grabbed the collar of its armor and smacked it in the face repeatedly. Eventually, she let the stunned creature fall to the ground. The other Dinolfos growled and breathed a jet of flame her way. When she ducked the flame, it aimed downward. She scampered to the side and jumped at it as the flame died. It slashed beneath her, not expecting her to float toward it. She knocked it out with an upward kick to the chin.

"YOU IDIOTS!" Wendy yelled angrily. "DON'T LET THAT BLONDE BIMBO BEAT YOU!" One of the Dinolfos with the cannons turned to face Peach and fired away. Sheik was still having trouble with the other one shooting at him. Peach saw the Bullet Bills flying at her and ran straight toward them. She sidestepped the first one, letting it pass harmlessly. She jumped over the next one and floated over a few more. She dropped down beneath the next one. The Dinolfos were back-to-back now. She jumped onto every following missile, defusing them.

"Is that all I had to do?" Sheik sighed, as he stopped running. He followed her example and jumped on every Bullet Bill that came his way as he dashed for the Dinolfos. Soon both Peach and Sheik were in front of the Dinolfos. Peach knocked her target out in one blow with a swing of her crown. Sheik knocked the cannon away from his target. When the lizard tried to pounce on him, he moved around behind it. He grabbed it from behind and cut its throat.

"So, you beat my guards," Wendy said, baring her teeth. "I guess I'll just have to get rid of you myself. GET READY!"


	15. Victory and Defeat

**Victory and Defeat**

Wendy whipped out a red-jeweled magic wand and pointed it into the sky. Four candy cane rings hummed from the wand and floated into the air. Sheik could see the tiny serrated blades on the outer part of each ring.

"Don't let those rings touch you!" he warned Peach. All of the rings suddenly flew at him, testing his quick reflexes. As he hopped, jumped, and sidestepped out of the way, Wendy shot a wave of wide-ringed energy at him. He disappeared in a puff of smoke before it could hit him and appeared to the side. When Peach threw a turnip at her, one of the candy cane rings sliced it apart and continued to pursue Sheik. When Wendy shot another wave at him, he ran straight for it and dived through each ring, rolling to the ground and coming out of it with a rising slash of his dagger on Wendy. She was sent upwards by the impact, but immediately whipped Sheik to the ground with her long, two-spiked tail.

"Ugh!" he grunted, rolling to his feet. He threw a few needles at her, but they merely bounced off of her as if she were made of steel. He also noticed that she had not been harmed by his slash at all. He ducked as one of the rings passed over him and flipped backward when the next passed under him. Wendy shot at him again and again as the candy canes continued to fly at him from various angles. Peach tried to rush her from behind, but was smacked away by her tail. When she approached once again, Peach caught the whipping tail in her hands, carefully avoiding the spikes.

"Let go!" Wendy yelled, looking over her shoulder.

"No!" Peach yelled back. The strength of Wendy's tail was enough to toss Peach about, but she refused to release her grasp.

"Let go or fry!" Wendy said, spitting a fireball into her free hand. When Peach held on, Wendy aimed to lob the fireball at her, but was punched in the face by Sheik. He continued to pummel her with kicks, punches, and slices while she was off-balanced, that is, until she grabbed his arm and blasted him with her wand.

"Sheik!" Peach screamed as he was turned into a white rat that scurried away. With another whip of her tail, Peach was sent flying into the stands of the coliseum, landing next to the largest of the withering sunflowers.

"Princess…" it said, sounding like an exhausted old woman. "Call the stars…The stars and sprites are the only way…to defeat her." Before Peach could reply, another wave blast from the magic wand slammed into her. When the smoke cleared, she found herself as a scarecrow. She could not move because there was only a single wooden post below her waist and she lay against the stands. She was very familiar with this form from a previous adventure.

As the candy cane rings came her way, she stiffly cupped her hands and closed her beady eyes. "Power Stars, please help me in my time of need. I call upon your power." Unexpectedly, a pink and yellow, swirling star-shaped beam blasted out of her body, past the candy cane blades, and plowed into Wendy.

"What is this!" Wendy yelled as the beam enveloped her and seemed as if it fused into her. It did not hurt at all and seemed harmless. Seeing no harm done, she directed the blades to get rid of Peach. Instead, the rings dropped to the floor and shattered into pieces. Then, Wendy began to shrink down a bit. Her red hair disappeared completely, and she lost most of her beauty. She had reverted back into her true form: a short, bald, bratty Koopaling with an oversized bow on her head. Though she was smaller, she was still nearly the same height as Peach. "WHAT DID YOU DO!" Wendy shrieked.

Peach then raised her arms and healed herself, returning to her normal form. "That looked like the Star Beam…but different."

"Now…the Shine…Sprites," the sunflower heaved. When more blasts from the wand went Peach's way, she had to run through the stands.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Wendy screamed, shooting furiously. She hopped up into the stands and gave chase. Peach slowed her down with a few tossed turnips. She then hopped out of the stands, floated a short distance, and ground-pounded on top of Wendy's head. Wendy retracted into her shell and spun away. She came out and began shooting again, spitting fire as well. Peach had to use her best rolling, jumping, and dodging abilities, but managed to use the rising dust and smoke to her advantage. When Wendy got too close, Peach leapt out of the cloud of debris and stomped on her head once again.

"One more should do it," Peach said to herself as she landed behind Wendy. Wendy retracted into her shell and threw herself at Peach, spikes first. Peach grasped the sides of the shell just as the spikes touched her skin. When Wendy popped out, Peach stomped on Wendy's foot.

"You dirty, stinkin,' overgrown fungus!" Wendy cursed, hopping on one foot. Peach hit her with a mighty slap that sent the Koopaling tumbling down the stairs and into the arena.

"Now's your chance!" one of the nearby sunflowers struggled to say.

"Oh great Shine Sprites," Peach said, taking a praying stance. "Please help me rid your island of this evil…Let the sprites Shine in!" There was a bright bang high up in the sky. As Wendy angrily got to her feet, a gleaming beam of light blasted from the point in the sky and shined down onto her.

"What the heck!" she exclaimed as a flurry of Shine Sprites rained down onto her. "DAAADDDDYYY!" she bellowed and fell unconscious.

_"Peach, down here!"_ Sheik's voice in her head said. She looked down and saw a white rat. _"I'm using telepathy."_

Peach used her healing power to break the spell. The rat grew into Zelda, who was surprised to be present.

"How did you do that?" Zelda asked.

"My power returns people to their _true_ forms," Peach explained. They looked around the arena and saw that the Shine Sprites had fully reenergized the sunflowers.

"That's much better," sighed the flower nearest them. "Princess, go to that big sunflower over there and use your **full power** to restore the Shining Fairy." Peach could see the one it was talking about. All the sunflowers were bigger than Peach herself, but the one on the far end was at least four times as big as any of them. It had white beady eyes instead of the usual black and its freckled face was tanned brown instead of orange like the rest. Peach and Zelda walked through the stands, past the many Shine Sprites floating around, and stood in front of the gigantic sunflower.

"Hello there," it said, staring down at them. "Are you the one who is to awaken the Shining Fairy?"

"Yes," Peach curtsied. "Now, let's see…Use my full power…" She cupped her hands and prayed to the stars. "Stars, help me awaken the Great Fairy of this island…" Her pink aura glowed as a giant Power Star floated out of her and spun above the sunflower. The plant glanced up at the star and looked back at her, noticing that nothing was happening.

"Is something wrong?" Zelda asked.

Peach fell to her knees, feeling exhausted. "Power…need more power…" She looked around and remembered that the Shine Sprites were there. She forced herself to her feet and called out, "Shine Sprites, come unto me!" The Shine Sprites surged into one point above her, becoming a giant Shine Sprite. She directed it into the Power Star, fusing them together as they spread their energy onto the sunflower. A blinding light flooded the arena.

"You can open your eyes now," a pleasant, echoing voice said. Peach and Zelda saw the Shining Fairy floating in front of them where the sunflower had been. She had white skin and short, glowing lavender hair. Her shining yellow clothing looked like an odd sundress. The hem of her dress was made of yellow petals and there was a small flower wrapped around her finger like a ring. When Zelda looked around, she pointed out to Peach that all the other sunflowers had turned into more standard fairies of various colors.

"So, you were all fairies in disguise," Zelda commented.

"Correct," the Great Fairy said. "I believe it is time that you receive an upgrade, Zelda."

"You know my name?"

"You look like the Princess of Destiny," she smiled. "Receive a portion of my power." A light shined down on Zelda from above.

"What did you do?" Zelda asked as the light faded and her hands glowed briefly.

"It is a spell," she replied. "I never bothered to name it, but it is essentially a shining ray of light. It is a charged, somewhat powerful attack. Be careful not to exhaust yourself, though. It is quite draining for a being such as yourself, especially if you use it consecutively."

"I'll be careful," Zelda said.

"What should we do next?" Peach asked.

"You've defeated the evil here," the Shining Fairy said as the newly formed Shining Star appeared. It had as many ends as a Shine Sprite, but they were sharp and seemed to be made of pure energy like the Power Star. "However, I sense something amiss. I cannot join you on your quest, for we are needed elsewhere. For now, wait in the safety of Delfino." The Shining Star broke into smaller versions and flew back into Peach. "Apparently, the Shine Sprites wish to stay with you. They sense something. Be careful." She turned into a beam of light and disappeared along with the rest of the fairies.

Peach and Zelda turned back to the arena and found Wendy nowhere in sight. Conveniently, there was a dark opening marked "Exit" on the side of the arena. Zelda rolled her eyes, while Peach giggled cheerfully. They walked into the darkness and exited.

They reappeared in Pinna Park, near the collapsed Yoshi-go-round. Explosions could be heard all around and smoke could be seen in the sky. After moving to a spot where they could see the sea, they saw huge naval ships battling each other. There were mutant Electro Koopas running around everywhere. The spikes on their shells held visible electric currents. They seemed to be in a state of confusion. Some seemed as if they were trying to evacuate. Others seemed as if they were trying to fortify the park. However, they were all focused enough to ignore Peach and Zelda. A few even shoved past them. When cannon fire began to rain down onto the park itself, Peach and Zelda ran for cover.

They cautiously approached the entrance and saw a few mutant Koopa bodies lying about. They were brusquely shoved aside as two mutant soldier Koopas rushed out of the park and onto the beach. A black sub hatch opened some distance out into the water. They swam out to the hatch and it became apparent that they were carrying Wendy. After putting her inside, they hopped in themselves.

"Do you think we can take on a few of those monsters?" Zelda asked Peach, as an explosion went off nearby. It was too dangerous to even think about swimming back to shore. The submarine was their only hope.

"Let's go," Peach said.

They swam out a short distance and hopped into the hatch. Unexpectedly, they fell through a void instead of into the inner part of a submarine.

"It's a warp," Peach said to Zelda.

They quickly fell out of the void and into a lush jungle. Peach felt the area seemed somewhat familiar. Above them was a one-way warp pipe. It was impossible to tell whether it was just hanging from the high treetops or mysteriously floating in the air. Like any jungle, there were trees everywhere, blocking out much of the sunlight. There were scattered exotic flowers here and there. Fortunately, none of the ones in the area were the carnivorous sort. Zelda seemed to be amazed by the environment.

"What is this place?" she asked in awe. "Is this a jungle?"

"Definitely," Peach replied. "I'm not quite sure about which jungle it is though."

"There are more?" Zelda asked. "I only read about them in storybooks. It's as if this entire world is a storybook."

"I have no idea which way we should go," Peach said helplessly.

Zelda looked at the ground and saw numerous footprints going in random directions. "All of these footprints are relatively fresh. Let's just pick a direction and go. We'll get somewhere eventually."

Of the many animal noises they could hear in the background, the most out of place sounds were distant roars. The two princesses were slightly unnerved by the threatening noises, which seemed to be getting closer every few minutes. It became evident that something was following them when the bushes around them began to shake, so Zelda halted Peach. They stood ready to defend themselves. Zelda looked into the bushes and the sliver of a reptilian eye staring back at her.

"What is it?" Peach whispered, unable to see their pursuer.

"We're being hunted," Zelda whispered back. "They have us surrounded."

"Where?" Peach asked, slowly looking around. When she looked behind her, she could see several large, raptor-like reptiles approach them silently. They bared their sharp fangs and growled, preparing to pounce.

"Stay close," Zelda said, slowly preparing a spell. The moment a blue sparkle appeared, the raptors pounced from all directions. They all slammed into the Nayru's Love shield that surrounded Zelda and Peach. The dinosaurs began to repeatedly claw away at the shield and slam themselves into it. They came in various colors. Some were blue, while others were red. There were yellow ones and purple ones. There were even black and white raptors, all relentlessly attacking. It was difficult for Zelda to concentrate since the creatures were batting them around. Some were even jumping on top the shield. Then, they all stood back at once, seemingly knowing that the shield would go down eventually.

"I'm out of ideas at this point," Zelda said, feeling the power begin to fade. "I figured that they would search for easier prey by now."

"As soon as the shield is down," Peach said, "we'll have to run. I just hope they aren't as fast as they look." The raptors waited patiently as the blue shield became more and more transparent.

"Run!" Zelda shouted, dispelling the shield. They only ran four feet before two raptors jumped onto them from behind and began to claw at their backs. They screamed and yelled as they struggled to get away. The raptors hopped back and forced them onto their backs. Before either could get away, Peach and Zelda were each pinned down by the razor sharp talons of the raptors. They growled in their faces as they prepared to bite into their throats. Suddenly, there was a roar from a greenish raptor that had pushed its way into the circle. The other two backed away from Peach and Zelda submissively. The green raptor glared at Peach and sniffed her. She was too frightened to do anything but shrink away from it. The green raptor turned away and gave a mighty roar. The circle spread away from it all at once. Then, the green raptor left the circle and stomped into the jungle. The other raptors snorted at the two young women and sniffed the air. Catching the scent of something, they quickly scampered in the direction of the green raptor.

"What happened?" Peach said, getting to her feet.

"Something scared them...Ah!" Zelda said as she felt her wounded back.

"Let me help you," Peach said, casting her healing spell. "Does that feel better?"

"…Yes," Zelda said, sensing something odd as she rubbed her bare back. "Anyway, we need to be more careful. That could have easily been the end of us."

"Right," Peach said as they began to walk in the opposite direction of the raptors path. The presence of dinosaurs made it apparent that they were in Dinosaur Land. Still, she had never seen those sorts of dinosaurs before. There was a terrible thought lingering in the back of her mind, though.

A short time later, they reached the end of the jungle. There were familiar hills and small cliffs all over. Berry bushes were scattered about, as were the occasional "?" blocks. As Peach went to check one of the blocks, she noted the absence of any animal life at all. Even the jungle behind them seemed to have become quiet.

"Something's not right," Zelda said uneasily.

"What do you think scared those creatures?" Peach asked. Just as she was about to punch the block, a lightning bolt annihilated it. The blast knocked Peach back in front of Zelda. They suddenly saw a figure leap out of a bush and land a short distance in front of them. He looked very much like a member of the 8-bits Club. However, he wore a hockey mask with a horizontal slit for a visor and several very tiny holes for ventilation. His white three-fingered gloves also looked like they were meant for fighting. He wore a green vest over his yellow robe and looked unusually fit for any member of the 8-bits Club.

"I did," he said in a low, rough voice. His yellow glowing eyes could be seen through the slit staring directly at them.

"Who are you?" Zelda demanded.

"My name is Bolt," he replied simply. "And I've come for Toadstool."

"You're not going to get her so easily," Zelda replied, stepping in front of Peach.

"Stay out of this," he warned. "No one has to get hurt."

"I distinctly remember orders were to kill Peach," she said, glaring at the figure.

"That's true. But there were also orders to capture a certain elf, or Hylian rather, who's been causing quite a bit of trouble. I believe you are Princess Zelda. Am I right?"

Zelda took a guarded stance.

"I'm willing to negotiate with you ladies," he said, folding his arms. "If Toadstool marries Bowser, her death will be unnecessary. And I'm sure your death will be equally unnecessary, Princess Hyrule." Peach expressed her distaste for the idea with a grimace.

"How do we know you aren't lying?" Zelda said, beginning to charge her magic.

"I don't know what changed His Evilness," Bolt spoke calmly. "However, I do know that deep down inside, he still has a soft spot for Toadstool. I can guarantee your livelihood at the very least. You have my word."

"The word of a stranger is of little value, especially when he attacked first!" Zelda shouted, letting a fireball fly at him.

He jumped to the side as the fireball ignited where he had stood. "How about you Princess?" he asked Peach.

Peach had been quiet for the entire encounter. "I've gotten this far without giving up. Why should I stop now?"

"You're making a mistake," he said.

"I've had plenty of chances to marry that creep before," Peach said grimly.

"Her decision has been made," Zelda said, readying another fire spell.

"You leave me no choice," he said, unfolding his arms.

He rushed Zelda, who put up her shield quickly and counterattacked with a magical blast from her palm. Bolt sidestepped it, grabbed her wrist, and tossed her over his shoulder. She rolled to her feet and turned around in time to be clotheslined by him, painfully knocking her onto her back. She rolled away just as he swung a punch into the ground. She got to her feet and slashed at him with her magical wrist. When it struck his side harmlessly, he punched her in the face, sending her to the ground once again.

"Give up," he said calmly. "I'm not like the others." With quick reflexes, he caught the wilted turnip Peach had thrown at him from behind. To his surprise, the turnip had quite a bit of power in it and made him slide back across the ground a short distance. He looked at the wrinkled face on the wilted turnip and then at Peach. He pitched it over her head and into a tree behind her. The thick tree snapped in half on contact and fell over behind her. Zelda snuck up behind him and smashed a large rock on his head. He dropped to his knees from the sheer weight of the rock, but hopped back to his feet unharmed. Zelda, who was shocked by his unbelievable resilience, was not prepared for his flurry of attacks. There was a punch to the stomach, a jab in the face, a low kick that swept her off her feet, and a hard kick in midair that sent her tumbling. She struggled to her feet as he stood, waiting for her to give up. When Peach attempted to attack him from behind, her face met the back of his fist and she fell back.

"What are you?" she said painfully. "Are you a mutant like the others?"

"Most of my kind no longer exists," he answered, keeping his eyes locked on Zelda. "You may have heard of a special type of 8-bits member known as the Zeus Guy. As far as I know, I'm the last."

"A Zeus Guy!"

"I don't care who or what you are," Zelda growled, wincing. "I won't let you do anything to her. No ridiculous marriage and no barbarous murder. You're the only one who is going to die." She had been charging a ball of light at her side while she talked.

Bolt began to charge a yellow ball of fire and electricity at his side. He launched the slow moving projectile forward just as Zelda fired her Shining Ray. The blasts cancelled each other out in a blinding explosion that was awfully close to Bolt. When the light faded, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Behind you!" Peach screamed.

"Flame Wall."

Zelda turned around to see Bolt summon a wall of fire. The Flame Wall burned into both Peach and Zelda and knocked them over. The flames on them went out quickly, but both were hurt badly. Both managed to struggle to their feet. They were burned and bruised, but not beaten. Zelda began to charge another ball of light while Peach raised her tired arms to heal the both of them.

"This has gone on long enough," Bolt said. Once he was sure Peach had finished her spell, he said to himself, "Willy Wisp." A large red ball surrounded by electrical discharge formed above his raised hand and plunged into the ground.

"Oh no!" Peach exclaimed, familiar with the attack. "Zelda, move!"

Before she could do anything more, a circle of swirling, blue particles of energy formed around Zelda and beamed into the sky. She was trapped and could already feel the pain surging through her. She screamed out loud as the circle filled with more light and the energy ball blasted into her from underground and flew into the sky. The particles had finished flying out of the ground and disappeared into the sky as well. Once it was done, Zelda fell to her knees and collapsed.

"Zelda, no!" Peach said, coming to her side. Another of Bolt's electrical fireballs blasted into Peach before she could start healing Zelda. Bolt steadily approached her as she scooted away and pulled up a turnip. She weakly threw it at him and he easily batted it away.

"No more games, Princess," he said, grabbing her by the throat and lifting her up. He electrocuted her briefly to cease her struggling and said, "I'll give you one last chance: marriage or death. What shall it be?"

"I'd rather die than marry that evil monster," she rasped.

She could tell from his eyes that he was disappointed. "Then, so be it."

He flung her high into the sky. Once she began to fall helplessly, watching the clouds become more distant, Bolt thrust his arm into the sky. Just before she landed on his raised arm, a blade of lightning shot out of his hand and impaled her through the back. She gasped involuntarily as she hung from the energy blade that burned through her back and out of her stomach. With a fling of the blade, Bolt violently threw her down and off the blade. Her body lay still, with a burning hole in her back.

"Peach…" Zelda said weakly, outstretching her arm. She too quickly fell still once again.

Bolt took out a mini radio and said, "Mission complete."


	16. Marriage of Sorrow

**Marriage of Sorrow**

Peach was in a daze. Her midsection hurt and her head throbbed. She felt as if she were floating. She could vaguely hear the sound of talking in the background. Her consciousness seemed to fade in and out. When her eyes slowly and weakly opened, everything was a blur. Everything went in and out of focus. She could see a swirl of gray, blue, yellow, and white. She did not have the strength to move even her eyes very much. Once her eyes had maintained their still blurry focus for a moment, she could see herself floating nude in a watery tube. She was too dazed to tell whether it was a mirror or just her imagination, but she could see Zelda in a similar state nearby. As everything became clearer, she could see that everyone's eyes, including her own apparently, were closed. It seemed she was having an out-of-body experience, but the strain of focusing was too much for her and she sank back into unconsciousness.

Peach awakened groggily to the light of flames. It seemed there were candles throughout the small, well-knit room. As she awakened further, she could see the walls were white and much of the modest furniture and decorations were pink. The chair was pink. The white table had a pink cloth covering it. Even the bed on the other side of the room was pink. Peach then realized that she was standing up. She looked upon herself and saw that she was wearing a white version of her usual royal wardrobe. She also noticed that several of Bowser's female minions were grooming and dressing her. All of them had expressionless faces, showing neither happiness nor sadness. Each also seemed to be dressed in white formal wear. The golden brown Goomba, wearing a small white bow and red jewel on her forehead, adjusted Peach's white shoes and sewed on miniature bows. The marine blue Koopa, wearing a purple shell, white dress, white bow, and a blue jewel on her forehead, tightened Peach's corset. The pale green Boo, wearing a white bow and a green jewel on her forehead, brushed and combed Peach's hair.

Peach slowly came to her senses and inquired, "What are you doing?"

"Hold still," the Boo said blankly, placing a veil over Peach's face.

"There will be trouble if you resist," the Koopa said, placing a bouquet in her hands.

"Your groom is waiting," the Goomba said, pushing the door open. As the Boo and Koopa took hold of the tail of her dress, she followed the Goomba out the door. There were two Koopatrol standing guard just outside the door. They were the elites of the non-mutant Koopas. They had black, spiked shells as well as spiked helmets and iron gauntlets. Outside the room, there was a large stone hallway that matched Bowser's usual décor: grey stonewalls and fiery torches hanging along the walls. The Koopatrol followed the group as they proceeded down the hallway, bypassing several doors and stairways. Organ music grew louder as they neared the red, massive double-doors at the end of the hallway. The Koopatrol stopped at the door and turned around. Then, Peach heard the familiar "Here Comes the Bride" music being played. She hesitated to continue forward.

"Please, Princess," one of the Koopatrol said somewhat sadly. "None of us want to hurt you." The Koopa and Boo pushed her through the doors and the Goomba began to follow from behind. The next room was humongous. The benches were full of witnesses and the room was a slightly more pleasant red and white pattern. There were stained glass windows depicting various pictures of Bowser and his children. At the end of the path, behind the podium, there was the stained glass window of Peach that had once been the main attraction of her castle. Bowser, dressed in a black tuxedo, stood at the end of the path, waiting impatiently for her. Bolt was similarly dressed next to him. A Magikoopa stood behind the podium. A Dry Bones skeleton played the organ. Off to the side, Zelda was kneeling in a bridesmaid's dress, being held by a group of mutant Koopas. They restrained her with chains connected to bonds on her wrists, ankles, and neck. When she tried to say something, one of the mutant Koopas smacked the back of her head, forcing her to stay down.

Peach looked away and saw the stares she was getting from the crowd of various creatures. There were Goombas, Koopas, Bob-ombs, Boos, Cheep-Cheeps, Piranha Plants, Lakitus with cameras, and various other creatures. In front, she saw all eight of Bowser's children. Wendy and Roy, arguably the toughest of the children, seemed to be giving her particularly bad looks. She finally reached the end of the path and her bridesmaids took their places to the side.

The Magikoopa began, "We are gathered here to witness the joining of two great kingdoms: the Mushroom Kingdom and the Koopa Kingdom. At the same time, a princess shall become Queen. Do you, King Bowser Koopa, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"Yeah," Bowser said, somewhat impatiently.

"That's not all to the vow!" Zelda yelled as she was struck once again.

"Ahem," the Magikoopa coughed. "Do you, Princess Peach Toadstool, take this Koopa to be your be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to care for in sickness or in health, to love until death do you apart?"

"Don't do it!" Zelda yelled. One mutant stomped on her and held her head to the floor with its boot. "Peach…don't do it!"

"I stand by my decision," Peach said, turning away from Bowser. "I'd rather die than marry an idiotic bully like you. I should spit on you for pulling something like this." The crowd gasped.

"Burn her!" Wendy yelled.

"Squash 'er!" Roy shouted.

"Shut up!" Bowser roared. "Now, Peachy, I know how your sweet little mind works, so I thought up a way to force your hand." He snapped his finger and the mutant Koopas began to relentlessly beat and stomp Zelda.

"What are you doing!" Peach exclaimed. Bowser grabbed her throat before she could run to help her.

"Being the bad guy I always was," he laughed. "I don't have to kill the Hylian to make her suffer. And knowing you, her suffering is your suffering. Bwa ha ha ha!"

"You monster!" Peach screamed. "Stop this!" Bowser snapped his finger and the Magikoopa summoned a sword into each Koopa's hands. They pinned Zelda down with the blades.

"Like I said," Bowser said, tightening his grip on Peach's throat, "no one has to die to get my point across. I can shish kabob her over and over again. As long as we keep her alive, we can torture her until you decide wise up."

"My healing magic is quite good," the Magikoopa cackled.

"Don't give in," Zelda said, standing up. "We'll figure a way out of this. I know we caAAH!" One of the Koopas stabbed her side. "I'm not important here! Just run awaAAAAH!" Another Koopa snapped her arm. The Magikoopa healed all her wounds and the Koopas kicked her. She ignored them and got to her knees. "Peach, please!"

"Stop it!" Peach cried. "Just stop it!"

"Let's raise the stakes a bit," Bowser chuckled. He slammed Peach to the ground and held his foot on her throat. "One more word outta' you, long ears, and she's history." Zelda was horrified, but held her tongue.

"Peach," she said through telepathy. "Don't…" Bowser's foot pressed further onto Peach's throat.

"Don't _even think_ about it," Bowser growled.

"What are you going to do with Zelda?" Peach choked. Zelda's eyes widened.

"In a little while, we'll send her back to her world," he said. "She's no good to us here. Someone else is interested though." Zelda shook her head frantically, visually begging Peach not to accept.

"You win, Bowser," Peach said bitterly. "I do." Zelda's heart sank and her body felt numb.

The Magikoopa beamed, "Is there anyone who objects to their union?" Several cannons opened up around the room, pointing directly into the crowd. Bowser maintained his foothold on Peach and glared at Zelda. "Then, I now declare you King and Queen Koopa."

Zelda banged the floor, crying angrily. "No! It wasn't supposed to be like this! Why!"

"I'm sorry, Zelda," Peach said, crawling to her.

"You may now kiss the bride!" the Magikoopa added.

Bowser grabbed her leg and pulled Peach back. He held her upside-down and stared at her. She looked at him sadly, trying to keep her dress from falling over her face. Without warning, he tossed her over his shoulder with a shrug. She was sent flying behind the altar.

"You foul demon!" Zelda cried in tears. "How could you do this to your own…Uaagh!" One of the Koopas had sent one mighty stomp into her stomach, knocking the air out of her. It was then a simple case of dragging the whimpering Hylian out, while Peach could only watch.

"Don't worry, my Queen," Bowser chuckled. "I know how to make you happy."

"You know nothing of the way I feel," she said tearfully, looking away from him. "You have my hand and nothing more, you ugly sack of filth!"

"Oh, yeah! Well, let me reveal one of your dirty little secrets to the crowd here." He snapped his fingers and the Magikoopa summoned a microphone into Bowser's hand. "Haven't you ever noticed how often this damsel is in distress? Now, everyone knows how we fought side-by-side a few years ago and no one here, not even me, can doubt her healing magic."

The crowd agreed, since many of them had encountered Mario's party of warriors during the Smithy incident.

Bowser walked up to the podium and leaned an elbow on it, glaring at Peach. "Then, why is it that she doesn't put up a fight at all? Ever thoughta' that? She never runs away. She never so much as slaps her captors. She barely even squirms when you sling her over your shoulder. All she does is scream for help. Know why? I'll tell ya why! Because getting kidnapped gets her rocks off, that's why!"

The crowd gasped and Peach became stiff with shock. Her face was red from embarrassment and anger. "How dare you! You don't know anything about…!"

"Oh, come on Peachy," he said, leering at her. "You know it, I know it…Heck, even that blasted plumber knew it. Nothing gets you worked up more than being kidnapped or being put in danger. Getting saved is the part when you…"

"Shut up!" Peach cried, covering her ears. "Just shut up! I don't want to hear anymore of these horrible lies! You've ruined my life enough already!"

"Oh, trust me, my pretty little wife," he grinned a toothy smile. "It gets much worse."

* * *

Though Peach was now a queen, she certainly was not being treated as one. She had immediately been put to work that a personal servant would carry out. She worked in the kitchen, helping to prepare food. She had to clean each bedroom of the royal Koopa family. When that was done, she had to wait on the Koopalings themselves, who were apparently gathered at the fortress as a small vacation for Peach's capture. Roy and Wendy were being particularly obnoxious as they lay under their sunning lamps.

"Hey, hag!" Wendy called out. "Where's my lotion?"

"Coming, Wendy!" Peach replied, hurriedly carrying the item. She was dressed in a maid's black and white uniform.

"Yo, P," Roy called, adjusting his pink-rimmed, black sunglasses. "I could use a drink over here."

"Right away, Roy," Peach said, handing Wendy the lotion. She ran out of the room and into the kitchen, where the stout, grey-shelled, brown-skinned Morton Jr. Koopa was waiting for her.

"What's a guy gotta do to get some food around here!" he whined. "King Dad is gonna torch you people."

"There's a cake being baked right now," Peach said, pouring a glass of punch. "It'll be ready in 10 minutes. You can share it your siblings."

"Forget that!" Morton yelled. "I want two cakes to myself." Peach ran outside with the punch, passing by other busy servants and slipped on a banana peel. She spilled the punch all over herself and heard laughing coming from the end of the hallway. There she spotted the Koopaling with spiky blue hair, Larry, snickering at his prank. Peach swallowed what little pride she had left and ran back to the kitchen as Roy could be heard yelling for his drink.

"Uh, Ms. Peach," a voice said shyly. She turned and saw Iggy, the Koopaling with thick, black-rimmed glasses and spiky rainbow hair. He was holding a tray with a pitcher of punch. "I got this for you."

"Thank you, Iggy," she said, taking the tray and running off to give Roy his drink.

* * *

It was rather late and Peach had not gone to bed. In fact, she outright refused to go to bed if it meant spending the night with Bowser. Instead, she stayed in the room of Lemmy and Iggy, who were also known as Hip and Hop. Lemmy was the smallest, though not the youngest, of the Koopalings and was always balancing on a colorful ball. Their room was not the neatest one Peach had seen, so her excuse for not going to bed was to clean up their room.

"Ms. Peach," Iggy said shyly as always, "You look tired."

"Yeah," Lemmy agreed, bouncing on his ball. "Your eyes are all red and stuff."

"Were you crying?" Iggy asked.

"No, I didn't have time to," Peach smiled bittersweetly. "My eyes are red from reading bedtime stories to Bowser Jr. for a few hours. He's an angel when he's asleep, but when he's awake he can be a brat."

"And a bully," Iggy said, rubbing his shoulder nervously. "Say, why don't you let us do the work? We don't mind."

"That way, you can get some sleep," Lemmy added. "You can take either of our beds. We don't mind sleeping on the floor."

"That's sweet of you two," Peach said graciously. "You've been so nice to me all day. I really do appreciate it."

"You're welcome," they said.

"I'm just going to go look at the stars on the balcony first though," she said, walking out.

"What do you think she's going out there for?" Lemmy asked.

"She's finally got some time to herself," Iggy frowned. "So she's probably going to cry."

* * *

Hip and Hop snuck down into the dungeon, easily bypassing the guards. It looked very much like the rest of the castle, except with poorer lighting. There were several cages with raptors in them, most of them sleeping. They came to a steel door guarded by two mutant Koopas. After dismissing the guards, the Koopalings cautiously entered. There was a single cell inside. To their surprise, the cage appeared empty.

"Did Dad give her to that Ganon guy?" Hip asked, rolling his ball back and forth to see inside.

"There wouldn't be any guards here if he did," Hop said, unlocking the cell. "She's probably hiding with some invisibility spell or something." When they entered and saw no one, they were disappointed. Suddenly something dropped behind them and closed the cell door on them. They turned around and saw Sheik walking toward the door.

"Hey, wait!" Hip called out. "Where's Zelda? We came here to get her out."

"She needed some time to herself," Sheik said quietly. "I'm taking her place for the time being. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

"Wait, don't go," Hop said. "This place is too heavily guarded for you to just walk out. You need clearance."

"I've handled guards before," Sheik said.

"But they'll set off the alarms the moment something is wrong," he continued. "We really want you to save Ms. Peach, so listen."

"Why would you care about her?" Sheik asked with a hint of anger in his voice. "Your kingdom is on the brink of complete victory, your father captured and married Peach, and now you want to take all that away?"

"Yes, sir," he said.

"We don't like what they're doing to her," Hip said. "She's a nice lady. She doesn't deserve any of this. We're not as good at being bad like the others. One time, Ms. Peach let us join a class she was teaching around here. We only got kicked out because our science project was too dangerous… She even gave it a good grade."

"Listen," his brother said. "Just let us out so we can escort you to the dungeon entrance. The Giga Koopas are scary, but they'll do whatever we tell them to."

Sheik stared at them for a moment and opened the cell door. "Don't try anything."

"Here, take this," Hop said, handing him a chain with a semi-hooked blade at the end. "The videos showed you using a chain. This one should be easier to use because it can hook into things and you can extend it as long as you need it to go."

"When we get to the dungeon entrance," Hip said, "go to the highest floor and to the balcony. That's where Ms. Peach is."

* * *

Peach leaned on the balcony and stared tearfully at the stars and full moon. The clear sky was so beautiful and serene. Judging from the many smiley-faced trees on one side of the fortress and the cliff over the sea on the other side, she figured that they were just outside the Forest of Illusion. She looked back to the cliff and sensed something wrong about it. Then she remembered that there had been a Star Warp Monument in that spot that could take a person straight to Star Road. Then she also remembered that Bowser had kidnapped the Seven Star Spirits, thus shattering the Star Road. She remembered how everything had gone so very wrong from the moment she was kidnapped at least a week ago. She did not even know how much time had passed between her being defeated by Bolt and put into a wedding dress. It could have been a month, as far as she knew. She began to break down into unrestrained crying from all the tragedies that had occurred.

Suddenly, a chain wrapped around the side of the balcony and its hook dug into the railing. She looked up and saw Sheik hop onto the balcony. "Peach, are you alright?"

"Sheik?" she said in disbelief. She ran to him and hugged him, still sobbing. "Oh, Sheik! I'm so glad you're okay! How did you escape?"

"A bit of help from Hip and Hop," he said uneasily, not expecting to be embraced so affectionately.

"Bless them!" she said, now crying tears of joy. "They've helped me all day."

"That's good to hear," Sheik said. "Now, let's make our escape while our absence is still unnoticeable." He took her onto his back and began to climb down the chain. He had made it long enough to get all the way to the ground. After that, it was a simple matter of avoiding the patrols.

With no definite destination, they wandered into the Forest of Illusion. Sheik insisted on carrying Peach, since she had been through enough already. The smiling faces on the trees were somewhat unnerving, but they were harmless. Sheik had taken her advice to just avoid the wildlife, such as the Wiggler caterpillars, since they usually only attacked after being attacked. It was a quiet walk for the most part, with an occasional owl hoot. Peach had become quiet. Sheik was not sure if she was asleep or not, but being so close to her gave him a few butterflies in the stomach, which had not been the first time.

"Peach? Are you awake?"

"Hmm?" She sounded as if she was half asleep.

"I have…a question to ask you," he said, growing nervous.

"Mmhmm?"

"I've been meaning to ask you this for some time now," he said, beginning to blush. "I…Do you…eh." He became frustrated with his own bashfulness. "Never mind."

After following the rough path through the forest for a while, they came upon a large old mansion. There were small fountains with star statues, weakly sputtering water. One large statue next to the front door appeared to be that of a cloaked woman holding a star that poured water into a pool. Sheik looked at the writing and noticed that it was the same script from the so-called "mysterious" star statue at Peach's castle. Of course, the writing was not mysterious to him at all, merely the message.

"In dedication to the Wanderer," Sheik spoke, reading the Hylian text. He looked up at the statue and saw that all parts of its face above the nose were covered in complete shadow. He also noticed a trickle of water flowing out of the shadow and down the statue's right cheek, as if the statue were crying. "Wandering sorrow…Does that ring a bell, Zelda?"

"Mmph," Peach grunted, readjusting herself on his back.

"Let's find you somewhere to sleep," Sheik said, entering the mansion.


	17. Ghost House

**Ghost House**

The door creaked open and swung shut by itself. The inside of the mansion was quite massive. It was entirely wooden and there appeared to be two floors, both of which had a few dangerous holes and gaps in them. Sheik carried Peach through the house in search of a bedroom or a couch or even a chair. However, the house seemed almost completely empty. There was no furniture at all, except for broken, unusable tables and drawers. Many of the different rooms had broken walls that made it seem as if each floor had one giant rotting room. Giving up on any furniture, Sheik gathered a few scattered sheets and turned them into a makeshift bed on the first floor, near a solid part of the room. He gently laid Peach onto the bedding and pulled a cover over her.

"Thank you," she whispered sleepily. "Aren't you going to," she yawned, "sleep to?"

"I'll keep watch," he said sitting next to her. "Pleasant dreams." She was asleep already. He looked around the somewhat creepy house and took note of the many cobwebs and rotted wood. There were occasional noises from the house shifting. All in all, it was a rather unsettling place to spend the night. As time passed on, Sheik found it harder and harder to stay awake. Though he had never slept in Zelda's body while in this form, he had never had trouble staying awake for days at a time in his previous life. He could sense something wrong with the area, but his eyes became too heavy to keep open. He soon slumped over and dozed off.

* * *

Sheik awakened with a start, lifting up his head. He felt the soil beneath him and noticed that he was outside the house, in the front yard. He quickly got to his feet and looked around. 

"Peach? Are you there? Peach?" She was nowhere to be found. He looked into the sky and saw massive, black clouds obscured the moon. The wind whistled and blew scattered leaves about ominously. Sheik could easily sense something in the house now. He took out his dagger and cautiously approached the door. As he walked, he looked to the large statue to the side. He stopped when he noticed something different. Most notably, she was no longer holding a star. Her outstretched arms now seemed to be desperately reaching for something. Adding to the effect were the two trickles of water running down her cheeks. It was then that he recalled the missing star appearing identical to the star statue at Peach's castle. Was this an illusion, an elaborate trick, or merely a realistic dream?

When Sheik entered the dark house, he was surprised to see it fully furnished, though still looking abandoned. There were dusty chairs and couches, and a large bookshelf in the far corner. Oddly enough, there was a rocking chair creaking back and forth by itself. Sheik walked further, noticing how all the holes had disappeared. When he passed the rocking chair, it instantly stopped moving. Sheik paused in case anything happened next. When nothing happened, he continued to the end of the room and found a door that had not been there before. He saw a mysterious orange glow coming from the other side. As he approached it, the bookshelf suddenly fell over. He hopped back just before it crashed onto him. He saw something disappear into the wall that had been behind the bookshelf.

After entering the next room, he saw that the source of the light was a lit fireplace. This room was relatively empty, but there were quite a few scattered papers on the floor. He picked up one of the papers and saw writing on it that was the same kind as all the other writing he had encountered in this world. In other words, he could not read any of it. The fireplace suddenly flared and he could see the same writing all over walls in red. Then, the fire immediately extinguished itself, leaving him in complete darkness.

As a member of the Shadow Folk, Sheik could easily sense several entities entering the room. He gathered several needles and let them fly in all directions, while setting off one of his last few Deku Nuts. In the resulting flash, he could see the blinded shadow creatures being struck and sliced through each of them with his blade. They burst into smoke and Sheik made his way out of the room. He saw the rocking chair moving once again, but it stopped soon after he glanced at it. He could hear faint chanting coming from upstairs. He entered the next room and found a bed and vanity mirror. He walked straight for the other door, but stopped when he noticed Zelda's image in the mirror.

She moved in time with his movements. Even the faces he made beneath his veil were reflected on Zelda's face. After losing interest in the peculiar mirror, he soon heard the chanting of children's voices chanting again upstairs. He passed through the next door and began to climb the stairs into the darkness above. After a few moments of climbing, it became apparent that the stairs were literally leading to nowhere. Spotting the hole above at the peak of the staircase, he flung his chain onto the edge. With the illusion now destroyed, it was easy to shimmy his way up.

Arriving on the second floor, he could hear the chanting relatively clearly from behind a single door. He stepped through the door and saw a massive circle of Boos rotating around Peach, who was unconscious on the floor.

The Boos continued to chant, "Va Boo ve li, ba voo le hi, la la la la." They suddenly disappeared, but the chanting continued, echoing from all over the house. Sheik ran to Peach and sat her up.

"Peach, wake up," he said, rubbing her forehead. "Are you alright?" She was unusually cold to the touch and her skin was pale. Her eyes slowly opened, but seemed somewhat unfocused and icy.

"Sheik?" she said slowly. "You came back."

"Of course I came back. I would never leave you in a place like this." He helped her to her feet. "Come on. This place is no longer safe."

"You must really care about me," she said, still with that glazed look in her eye.

"Of course I care about you," he said, taking her hand to lead her out. She didn't budge. "Peach, what…"

"Do you love me?" she asked suddenly, staring at him oddly.

He blushed instantly and was unable to immediately reply.

"I love you, Sheik," she said, stepping closer to him, much to his discomfort. "Do you love me?" Her blank stare was penetrating as she peered into his scarlet eyes.

"Peach, please," he said, attempting to take a step back. She merely stepped forward, unblinking, and made herself even closer to him than before. She would not let go of his hand. "This really is not the time nor the place for this discussion."

"Please tell me Sheik," she said in her feathery voice, stepping toward him as he continued to back away. "Just tell me what I want to know. There's no need to hide things from me. I won't hide anything from you." Soon, she had him backed against a wall. Her unblinking eyes seemed to be looking into his soul.

"Why the sudden interest?" Sheik asked nervously.

"I never repaid you for saving me so many times," she spoke in that distant voice as the chanting in the background continued. A few ghostly sounds moaned in the background, not sounding human, but too gentle to be monstrous.

"You've saved my life, too."

"I want to properly repay you," she said, moving forward so that they weren't even an inch apart.

"There's really no need to…"

"I insist," she said, placing an icy finger on the cloth covering his mouth. The chanting became more of a fast tinkling noise that was omnipresent. The moaning sounds became even more ghostly and strained, as if the souls of the dead were plummeting into a bottomless pit. Peach slipped her finger into the cloth to pull it back and leaned forward.

"Peach, no!" Sheik said, slipping to the side. She turned her head to look at him blankly. "This isn't my body, remember? I don't think Zelda would be very happy with you."

"I don't love Zelda," she said, tilting her head with a disturbing smile. The moaning noises became more punctuated and the tinkling began to fade in and out every few moments. "I love you, Sheik. I want you to love me. I want you to make me yours…forever and ever. Make me yours, Sheik."

"You're acting strangely," he said, backing away. "Did those spirits do something to you?"

"You saved me from them, remember?" she spoke, still walking toward him. "I'm fi…I'm fi…" Suddenly, she fell forward and Sheik caught her. He sat her down to rest.

"You're still weak," he said.

"You are my strength, Sheik," she continued to speak. Her eyelids were halfway open, making her look increasingly unsettling in this creepy atmosphere. She suddenly fell back, and Sheik had to support her with an arm behind her back.

"You have to rest."

"Make love to me, Sheik," she said, suddenly embracing him softly.

"What is wrong with you? Why are you acting so strangely?"

"Promise not to tell," she whispered into his ear. "I like it when I'm rescued like that. I think it's…sexy." As she talked, she grasped his back.

"Now stop that!" he said, standing up. He watched her lie back on the floor. "Get up. We're leaving." She continued to lie there, staring back at him. He frowned and put her onto his back.

"Thank you, Sheik," she said, rubbing his chest. "Such a strong man."

He carried her to the staircase and muttered, "That's metal plating." As he walked into the bedroom and pass the mirror, he stopped when he noticed something strange. Zelda's image was still there, as was Peach's being carried on her back. What was different however, was the unconscious look on Peach's face in the mirror. Her eyes were closed and she looked somewhat distressed. She looked as if she was being used like a puppet. In fact, there appeared to be a misty white blur surrounding Peach. Sheik realized what was going on and set the possessed woman on the bed. She looked up at him and pulled at the collar of her dress slowly.

"Will you have me now?" she asked, slowly loosening her collar.

"Will you do something for me first?" he asked, taking her hand.

"Anything for you," she said, rolling onto him.

"Eh…For every touch I give you, I want you to repeat after me."

"Then, touch me, Sheik."

"Stars," he said, hesitantly patting her back.

"Stars," she repeated, pulling at the cloth covering his face.

"Shine Sprites," he said, pulling her hair softly.

"Shine Sprites," she said, burying her face gently into his.

"Come unto me," he said, holding her back. "Scream it."

"Come unto me!" she screamed ecstatically. Just as she was about to force herself onto him, she paused and looked as if she were choking. She grabbed her neck and gasped for air, stumbling around the room. The house began to rumble and the chanting turned tinkling became cries of horror. Suddenly, Boos melded through the walls and into the room. They all flew straight into Peach's body until her skin was deathly pale and she gave off a whitish glow.

She stopped choking, but still appeared to be in extreme discomfort and looked directly at Sheik. "Foolish Sheikah warrior!" Her demonized voice echoed throughout the house. "Darkness shall consume all!"

"What are you?" he said.

She lunged at him and pinned him to the bed, now attempting to strangle him. She was completely overpowering him. As he struggled, she embraced him and whispered into his ear, _"It is inevitable."_ Suddenly, all of the Boos were blasted out of her by the light of the Power Stars and Shine Sprites in the form of the Shining Star. She collapsed onto him, unconscious. The Boos around them looked very angry and began to swirl into a circle. Sheik picked up Peach and ran back to the main room.

All of the furniture was flying through the air. The rocking chair burst to pieces and the wooden remnants flew at Sheik. He was knocked down and had trouble approaching the entrance because of a strong wind. Pieces of furniture continued to barrage him as he shielded Peach.

"Hahahaha!" there was a cackle. A Big Boo passed through the wall behind him and slowly floated toward him. It was hard to stay away since the wind and furniture was keeping Sheik back. "Your souls are mine! Three for the price of one!"

"Stay back, evil spirit!" Sheik said, crawling toward the door with Peach on his back. The Boo was still moving faster than him, though slow enough to mock him. Soon Peach was within its ectoplasm.

"Got ya!"

"No! Let her go!" Sheik cried, pulling away. As Peach's body was carried out of the ectoplasm, her soul body seemed stuck within the Boo. More and more of her soul was being extracted from her body.

"Just a little more!" the Big Boo taunted.

"Stop it!" Sheik yelled, looking back over his shoulder to glare at the Boo. When their eyes met, the Big Boo became nervous and hid its face behind its flippers, halting itself. Sheik was astounded by the shyness of the ghost, but took the opportunity to pull Peach away. The second he looked away, though, the Boo moved forward and absorbed the rest of Peach's soul.

"Two to go!" it announced. Sheik looked back at it, freezing it again, and could see Peach's soul sealed up in the Big Boo.

"Let her go!" Sheik yelled. When the Big Boo did not budge, he swung his chain to the entrance, where it hooked into the door. He wrapped Peach's body in the chain so that the wind did not push her back into the Big Boo. Then, he reached into the Boo, pushing his soul out through his hand. He grabbed onto Peach's spirit and pulled her back, with some help from Zelda, moving the body back. Once Peach was fully extracted, she automatically returned to her body, and Sheik returned to his. Keeping his eye on the shy spirit, he began to pull the still unconscious Peach and himself to the door. He was tired and bruised after being hit by furniture so many times, but he finally got to the door and exited with Peach.

There was a gentle wind that ended the gale from the open door and immediately shut it. It was still night outside. The clouds had dissipated somewhat. Sheik looked to the Wanderer statue and saw that it had regained its star. However, water was still flowing down its cheeks. Sheik did not know what to make of it, but tried to wake up Peach.

"Peach, wake up," he said, rubbing her forehead.

"Sheik?" she said tiredly. "What happened? Why are we outside?"

"That house was haunted," Sheik said, supporting her head. "Spirits possessed you and attempted to steal our souls. We have to leave."

She slowly got to her feet and stood shakily. Then, her knees buckled and Sheik had to catch her before she fell. "I feel so weak. I don't know what's wrong."

"It's okay," he said, putting her onto his back. "You've been through a lot."

"Thank you, Sheik," she said apologetically. "I don't mean to be so much trouble."

"Don't mention it," he said, glancing once more at the statue. "I'm sure you aren't the only one who appreciates me." Again, she had fallen asleep on his back. It was her passive nature that made him so affectionate to her. The way the ghosts had used her had disgusted him. He did not know when, if ever, he would admit his feelings for her, but it would have to wait.

Judging from the distant sound of a siren, he and Peach's disappearance had been noticed by Bowser. Sheik focused on staying on the move. He had no destination, but just traveling would be better than waiting for the Koopa Clan to find him. Unfortunately for him, the group of raptors returned, walking out of the bushes around him. They had encircled him and, with Peach in no condition to run, fight, or even heal, he was placed in a very grim situation.


	18. Jinxed

**Jinxed **

Out of the circle of raptors surrounding Sheik and Peach, the green raptor returned. It slowly approached them and sniffed at them. Sheik readied his needles and whispered to Peach, "We're in a bit of trouble." He gave her a shake.

"Mmmhuh?" she said, drowsily looking up. "What is it?"

"Take a look."

She hardly glanced at the colorful creatures surrounding them and snuggled her head into the fabric of Sheik's wrappings. "Just Yoshis…"

"Think again," Sheik said, giving her another shake.

She moaned in a slightly irritated fashion and looked again. Her eyes focused and widened at the sight of the monsters that had nearly killed them before. "What should we do?" The raptors had already closed the distance.

Suddenly, the green raptor sat down and seemed to beckon them to hop on. The other raptors also lowered themselves.

"What are they doing?" Sheik asked, confused.

"I think they want us to ride them," Peach said unsurely, "just like…Oh! They _are_ Yoshis!" she said in horror.

"What?" he said as she got off his back and moved to the green raptor.

"Yoshi, is that you?" she asked, meekly touching its snout.

"YOOOOOSH!" the raptor nodded in a harsh growl. It sounded nothing like the Yoshi calls she was used to hearing.

"What have they done to you!" she cried, hugging it. There was an increasingly loud swish of moving bushes. All the raptors turned as two Hammer Brothers entered the scene.

"Bro, there they are!" one said, tossing his hammer immediately. One of the raptors lashed its tongue out to the hammer and ate it. Several other raptors pounced onto the hammer-wielding Koopas.

"Sheik, get on one!" Peach called, climbing onto Yoshi.

"If you say so," he said, climbing onto a blue raptor. All rose and scurried into the jungle. Sheik was somewhat surprised by how similar it felt to riding a horse. They moved especially fast into the jungle. They passed by a group of spinning Koopa shells that rapidly streamed through various colors. The shells quickly began to pursue them, steadily picking up speed.

The green Yoshi gave out an irritated growl as it continued to run. The raptors without riders turned around and caught the shells with their tongues. With mouths full, they sprouted demonic wings and sprinted along before taking low flight next to Yoshi. When Spinies began to fall from above, two raptors spat fireballs into the treetops, instantly losing their wings. Several burned Lakitus hit the ground with a thud. As they entered a clearing next to a cliff, several cactus-like Pokeys rose out of the ground in front of them. Yoshi and the blue raptor took a moment to quickly lap up each section and continued ahead. Several Giga Koopas climbed onto the cliff and stood in their way. The flying raptors folded their wings and bowled them over with a collective body slam.

Then, three Bandits hopped onto the scene. They looked like taller members of the 8-bits club, much like a Zeus Guy. However, their white masks also seemed to actually be their faces since they were actively expressive.

"Hold it!" the green one said.

"Right there!" the blue one said.

"You two!" the one in red said. All of the flying raptors dropped down and belched fireballs at the Bandits. All but the red one was burned to a crisp. That was because the fireballs going for the red Bandit had been absorbed into a miniature flame wall. The Flame Wall grew and bowled over all of the raptors, knocking Peach and Sheik off their Yoshis.

"I didn't do that…" the red Bandit said.

Then Bolt dropped down in front of her. "I did."

"Thanks for the help, but I don't need it," she said, taking a fighting stance.

"Take the other two back to base," Bolt said. "I'll handle things from here."

"But Bolt!"

"That's an order, Bandita," he said, raising his voice slightly. She frowned, picked up her comrades and dragged them away quickly. Bolt watched them leave, but was suddenly struck down by a punch from Sheik. He followed up with a barrage of needles and bounced off of Bolt with several stomps. Then, he picked him up and tossed him away.

"That should do it," Sheik said, seeing Bolt hit the ground with a thud. "You can't handle any speed." He was shocked when he saw Bolt hop to his feet and wipe the dust off.

"I've seen faster," Bolt said casually. Yoshi roared and all the raptors surged forth to attack him. Their tongue lashes were unable to stick to him, but they did knock him around quite a bit, at least until he got bored and jumped into the air. "Static E." A bright electrical flash went off. The next moment, all of the Yoshis were left crippled by the shock.

"What was that?" Sheik cringed.

"Just give up," Bolt said.

"And let Peach suffer again?" Sheik glared hatefully. He dashed at Bolt and sent a series of kicks and punches. Bolt took a few hits without much care, but suddenly reversed the flow and battered Sheik. When Sheik fell, Bolt struck him with a thunderbolt.

"No!" Peach cried weakly. "Stop!" Bolt tossed the defeated Sheik away and began to approach her.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you," he said. "But better you than the ones I care about."

"Picking on women, eh Bolt?" a voice said tauntingly. "I'd expected better from you."

"Stay out of this," Bolt said irritably. "This doesn't concern you."

"That voice," Peach said, looking for the source. "It sounds so familiar."

"Down here, Princess," the voice said. She looked down and saw a small figure, barely a foot tall, standing next to one of the Yoshis. He had light skin, a petite, almost doll-like body, a small red cape, and a round head with a green stalk that looked like a blade coming out of his forehead and arching upwards. His features were very simplistic. He had no mouth, but his eyes were arched and fierce. He stood as if he was looking down on his opponent, despite the severe height difference.

"Jinx?" Peach said, surprised to see him in such a distant area.

"So, what'll it be, Bolt?" Jinx asked.

"I have bigger priorities," Bolt said, charging an electrical fireball. In a blur that left after images, Jinx dashed to Bolt and knocked him away with an open palm. Bolt was sent a short distance, but grounded himself and charged forward.

"I see you've improved," Jinx said. "Vigor up!" he called out, powering up with a red light around him. He blocked Bolt's kick, blurred behind him, and punched him in the back.

"Ugh!" Bolt grunted, being sent tumbling. Sheik and Peach watched in awe as an attack finally seemed to hurt him. He got up and leapt away as Jinx attempted a second attack. "You were a good teacher," he said, lobbing an electrical fireball. Jinx was hit, but took it well and continued to attack Bolt. Jinx was getting in most of the hits, but Bolt kept getting up from all of them. Most of Bolt's attacks were too slow to hit the amazingly fast Jinx.

While they fought, Peach moved to Sheik and attempted to heal him. Unfortunately, she was out of energy.

"Who is that little warrior?" Sheik asked, sitting up

"That's Jinx," Peach replied. "He's a martial arts master on the same level as…the Master, maybe higher. I've fought him before and he's tough to beat, but he's one of the good guys."

"They seem evenly matched," Sheik commented, watching Jinx knock Bolt into a small boulder. "But reinforcements will be on the way."

"Just wait a little longer," Jinx said to them before continuing the fight. Bolt picked up the boulder and lobbed it at Jinx, who smashed it to pieces and zipped in front of Bolt. He sent a flurry of impossibly fast punches into Bolt's body, uppercut him, and finally slammed him back down. Then, he picked up Bolt by his legs and began to swing him around before finally tossing him away. Bolt stopped himself with a blast of electrical energy and landed safely.

He revealed a red ball of energy and whispered, "Willy Wisp." As soon as the ball went into the ground, Jinx tackled him to the ground and, standing on Bolt's chest, began to pummel him in the face. Bolt electrified himself to knock Jinx off, and then rolled himself away.

As soon as Jinx touched the ground, the blue particles rose out of the ground and surrounded him. He was trapped within them, but remained calm. He powered himself up in a blue light, calling out, "Valor up!" The red ball of energy seared through him, but he was still okay.

"As much as I'd like to continue this fight," Jinx said, stepping back. "It's time for us to leave." A shadow passed over them in the air. They looked up and saw a small flying saucer.

"You're not going anywhere," Bolt said, charging an electrical attack. "Electrosho…Ah!" Somehow, the blazingly fast Jinx had gotten behind him and sent a devastating punch into his back. Bolt fell to his knees, breathing hard and angrily.

"You forgot about my Silver Bullet," Jinx said, facing the other way with his fist still outstretched. "I'm surprised that didn't knock you out." He calmly walked to Peach and Sheik and stood there, watching Bolt's eyes angrily watch them escape.

The shadow of the aircraft moved over the trio and they were raised into the saucer by its tractor beam. As soon as they disappeared into its hull, the craft zoomed away and out to sea.

"Any serious injuries?" Jinx asked the two as they stood in the relatively empty control room of the ship.

"Just my pride," Sheik winced. "Maybe a broken rib or two."

"I'm exhausted," Peach said, falling into a sitting position.

"Here, take these," Jinx said, handing them some Mid-Mushrooms. "They should get you back on your feet." Sheik chose to change into Zelda instead of moving his cloth to eat.

"Thank you," Peach said, feeling somewhat recharged from the first bite. "How did you find us anyway?"

"I didn't," Jinx said. "It was a group effort."

"Who helped you?" Zelda asked.

Before there was an answer, the saucer came to a stop and beamed them down onto a naval flagship. It was large, had white and blue paint, and had several smokestacks along the middle. The main deck was made of wood paneling and there were several mounted cannons and guns along the sides. There were sailors everywhere, all of various races that were only slightly different from the usual Mushroom Kingdom variety. A fleet of smaller, but similar ships surrounded the ship itself.

"This seems so familiar," Peach said, looking around.

"It should," Jinx said, pointing at a door a short distance down the deck as he walked away. There stood a woman who looked extremely similar to Peach. Her cheeks were rounder, her chestnut-colored hair was slightly shorter, her crown was crimson, and her skin was tanned. She wore orange short shorts, a sleeveless yellow shirt with a flower brooch, and matching flower earrings.

"Hey, Peach!" she said, running to her. She caught Peach in a tight hug and lifted her up slightly. "I'm so glad to see you safe!"

"Um, excuse me," Zelda said.

"Hi, I'm Daisy!" she said instantly, shaking her hand.

"She's the Princess of Sarasaland," Peach explained, amused at how annoyed Zelda already was with the outgoing princess.

"I see," Zelda said, removing her hand from her grasp. "So, are you the one who owns all of these machines?"

"Yep," Daisy nodded, smiling. "One flagship, four carriers, ten cruisers, twenty destroyers, fifteen bomber saucers, and thirty fighter jets."

"Daisy," Peach said, somewhat mystified. "When did you get such a strong military?"

"A little while after Mario saved me from Tatanga, like, years ago," she replied. "No trouble since."

"Why didn't I ever notice that you had anything like this?"

"Because you totally never visit," Daisy said matter-of-factly. "I always come to your kingdom for, like, the tournaments, grand prix, parties, and stuff. Not that I blame you, what with Bowser attacking you, like, every five minutes…"

"Jinx said that it was a group effort to find us," Zelda said, returning to the original subject.

"Well," Daisy began, taking a deep breath, "Luigi called me in Chai and told me that Bowser had an army that was going to attack your kingdom after he tried to kill you, so I sent some units to investigate, but they didn't find you or any toads, just Bowser's army, so they went looking everywhere for you until they ran into this doll guy named Geno on an island, and he said to recruit Jinx from Monstro Town while Geno was escorted to Star Hill to contact his 'superiors.' Caught all that?"

"I think," Peach said unsurely.

"But…" Zelda began, but was interrupted by Daisy.

"I almost forgot! Geno said your plane was going to Delfino Isle so I called up my cruise line managers, who said the island was being shielded by the Shine Sprites and something evil had taken over the area around the island. Then, Syrup told us what was going on, so I took a fleet down there and stuff. We got into a fight with Bowser's navy until they retreated. Then, two of Bowser's kids, Hip and Hop, told us that you were near the Forest of Illusion in Dinosaur Land, so we moved the fleet there and sent Jinx in. Whew!"

"Where is Luigi now?" Peach asked.

"In Chai, safe and sound," Daisy smiled. "I think he only got there a day or two ago. He was looking for Mario and you for a long time."

"Did he find Mario?" Peach asked hopefully.

"Sorry, Peach," Daisy said regretfully. "We haven't heard anything from Mario at all…I miss him, too."

Suddenly, they heard an explosion out in the distance. One of the destroyer ships had been hit. More explosions followed all around them. They were surrounded by Bowser's ships, on and underwater.

"Princess!" one of the Goomba-like Chichibos called as all the sailors reported to battle stations. "They've got us surrounded on all sides. Please, move to your safe quarters."

"They're after you two," Daisy said, looking at Sheik and Peach.

"Will everything be okay?" Peach asked.

"Don't sweat it, girl," Daisy grinned confidently. "We beat 'em once, so we can beat 'em again! But just one question…Who's this person? Luigi said something about a Supreme Commander or a princess from another world…She looks kinda familiar…really familiar, actually."

"I am Princess Zelda," she replied.

"What's with the tacky dress? And speaking of tacky, what's with the maid outfit, Peach?"

"That's not important now," Zelda said irritably. "Shouldn't we be getting to safety?" The explosions were indeed getting closer and a Doomship could be seen entering the sky above the battlefield.

"Actually," Daisy said, "I thought we should just get out of here and head back to Sarasaland. Luigi said you were stranded here, so our scientists started modifying a long range teleporter that can get you back to wherever you're from. The sooner you get to them and help them locate the place, the sooner we can get you home."

"As things stand," Zelda said, seeing a plume of water blast into the air nearby, "I don't think you can move this ship, let alone an entire fleet, out of this area so quickly."

"I wasn't planning to," Daisy said, picking up one of the ship's phones. "Ready my personal craft, please."


	19. Escape to Sarasaland

**Escape to Sarasaland**

They stood in the docking bay of the flagship, deep within the ship. All the technicians and combat-ready sailors at work amazed Peach. Zelda was equally amazed by the huge machinery and metal rooms that were everywhere on this boat of steel.

"There she is, girls," Daisy smiled confidently. There was a rosy, sleek, futuristic-looking vehicle hanging from cables above the water. It had no propeller or wheels, only a powerful-looking booster in the back. The booster looked like a flower bud that had not fully bloomed yet. It was about the size of a large car.

"What is it?" Zelda asked.

"That's our ride out of here," Daisy said, pressing a switch on the wall. "I call it the Red Petal." The cables lowered the vehicle into the water, where it floated on the surface. Daisy pressed a control device in her hand and the cockpit opened. There was one seat in the front and a large back seat. Daisy hopped into the driving seat and grabbed the steering wheel. "Hop in!" Zelda cautiously followed Peach into the craft, not trusting these machines she had encountered. So far, a plane had crashed, a boat had talked back, and a submarine had led to another continent entirely.

"Princess Daisy, you are clear for launch," one technician said over the intercom. The docking bay doors opened and the sounds of explosions outside became louder. "Be careful, Your Majesty."

"Buckle up!" Daisy said, pressing various buttons on a control panel. Racing music soon emanated from the surround-sound speakers, startling Zelda. "Relax. It's just a tune for the moment. Remember this song, Peach?"

"It sounds like something from a videogame you brought with you one time," Peach said thoughtfully, despite the loud, rocking music.

"Video…game?" Zelda said, unaware of what they were talking about.

"Mute City," Daisy grinned, turning the ignition on. The boosters powered up and the craft raised inches above the water.

"Don't tell me you based this on…" Peach began. She was cut off when the machine suddenly rocketed forward, through the short tunnel, and out into the battlefield.

"F-Zero!" Daisy laughed, swerving around the cannon fire.

"Isn't this a bit fast!" Zelda yelled, pushed flat onto the seat.

"It's just the way I like it!" The car surged through the water, easily outrunning Bullet Bills. It cruised through a hole that was in one ship and out the other end. When it reached the enemy lines, a flurry of Bullet Bills were shot directly at it. Daisy swerved and the missiles were forced to turn around to follow the car because of its pure speed. It soon lost them in the distance and began to draw fire from the close range cannons of various enemy ships. In effect, the ships filled each other with holes in a futile effort to lock on to the F-Zero-based machine.

"Ha ha ha, suckers!" Daisy laughed, once the machine had blazed off out of the war zone. She glanced in the rearview screen and saw several high-speed Bills flying toward them. Sensors also indicated similar projectiles underwater. "Say Peach, what kind of missiles are those?"

"They look like the same ones we had to deal with on my plane," Peach said, looking back. "They're very fast and won't lose track of you no matter what. The underwater ones must be Torpedo Ted versions."

"Who names these things anyway?" Daisy said, turning the craft slightly. "Fortunately for us, there's a minefield ahead of us."

"Minefield!" Zelda exclaimed, familiar with that term. "My Goddesses, are you mad woman!"

"Like a fox!" Daisy said, fully accelerating the machine. Soon, floating, spike-covered bombs could be seen bobbing in the ocean. Zelda screamed as Daisy nimbly swerved around each and every one of them, missing them by a little as a few inches. Some were knocked into one another and began to explode. A chain reaction made the entire section of the sea go up in a ball of water, smoke, and flame.

"You're insane!" Zelda screamed.

"It totally worked, didn't it?" Daisy smirked.

"Um, actually…" Peach said, glancing back. The Smart Bills dived out of the clouds above and continued their pursuit. The Torpedo Teds popped out of the water and began to skid along the surface.

"Well, that sucks," Daisy frowned. Suddenly, dolphins leapt out of the water and smacked the torpedoes' sides with their tailfins. The disrupted torpedoes flew into one another and exploded. The Smart Bills moved higher to avoid the dolphins. Soon, the dolphins dropped out of view and could no longer be seen.

"What nice dolphins," Peach said.

"Too bad they didn't take out the other two," Daisy cringed, pressing a button on the wheel. The craft suddenly surged forth, even faster than before. The Smart Bills could not boost as fast, but they stayed close behind.

"This is exactly how it was on the plane," Peach said grimly.

There was suddenly a whistling sound from up ahead and several black objects could be seen.

"Not more!" Zelda cried, already sick of this ride.

"Those aren't Bills," Daisy said, squinting. "Those are Sarasian Giras!" The Bullet Bill look-alikes bypassed the craft and the Smart Bills swerved out of the way to not get hit. Suddenly, a black racing yacht blasted past them all and turned around, giving chase.

"That's the Black Rose!" Daisy exclaimed.

"Syrup's ship!" Peach squealed.

As much as the Smart Bills tried to dodge, they were unable to escape the constant barrage of Giras being fired out of the Black Rose.

"She did it!" Peach cheered. The Black Rose zoomed alongside the Red Petal and revved its engines.

"So you wanna' race, huh?" Daisy, said revving her own engines.

"Goddesses, no!" Zelda cried. "I'm feeling ill already!" The two vehicles jetted away, leaving only waves and the roar of boosters in their wake.

* * *

The two boats docked into the bay of Muda, one of the four divisions of Sarasaland. It had might as well be called Water World because there were numerous ponds, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, and docks. The bay itself was mostly just wooden docks and a few scattered islands. There were saucers hovering about, presumably a part of the military. Since Peach and Zelda had not eaten a full meal in a while, Daisy and Syrup took them to a restaurant.

"So, have you two met before?" Peach asked, as they ate.

"Unfortunately," Syrup said.

"We go way back," Daisy said teasingly. "Isn't that right, Maple?"

Syrup grabbed Daisy by the collar from across the table and seethed, "Don't call me that, shrimp!"

"Maple, Maple, Maple!" Daisy laughed with a stupid grin.

"I said don't call me that!" Syrup shook her.

"You're sisters, aren't you?" Zelda said cleverly.

"How'd you know?" they asked.

"Why else would a pirate save us?" Zelda answered. "Plus, you bicker like siblings."

"But that means," Peach said, raising an eyebrow, "Captain Syrup is a princess."

"Maple's the Second Crowned Princess," Daisy said.

"Shut up!" Syrup snapped.

"Is that true?" Peach asked.

"Yes," Syrup sighed. "Even though, I'm the oldest, I never wanted to be stuck in a boring palace ruling over who cares what. So, I went off on my own to become a pirate. Syrup was a nickname that I had taken. It was going all well and good…and then…Wario showed up."

"Bye bye, pirate crew," Daisy teased.

"Your parents had no problem with this?" Zelda asked.

"No, but they're dead," Syrup shrugged apathetically as a phone began to ring.

"That's me," Daisy said, taking out her phone. "Hello…..Really? Hmm….Okay…….Tell them we'll come when we can." She switched off the phone and turned to face Peach. "Hey, Peach, I've got some good news."

"What is it?"

"Some of our international stations came across Mushroom Kingdom refugees," Daisy said.

"Really?" Peach said, filled with joy. "That's great!"

"Yep. All of them should be located within the next few hours. They're all being taken to Chai, where they'll be cared for. We can go see them in about a day. Right now, we should go to Birabuto. That's where we can send Zelda home."

"That's good to hear," Zelda said. "Our journey is almost over."

"We can leave right now if you want to," Daisy suggested.

"I'm satisfied," Zelda said, wiping her mouth.

"Yeah, let's go," Peach agreed.

"I guess I'll see you all later, then," Syrup said.

"Don't tell me," Daisy smirked. "Going out on the high seas again before you lose your sea legs."

"Wrong, shrimp. I'm going straight to Chai. I haven't been there in years. Besides, a Koopa Army on the move is a good enough reason for me to go get spoiled like the princess I am."

"Hey, I just noticed something," Daisy said, pouring out a few coins for the bill. "We're all princesses here. Isn't it neat?" Zelda and Peach took on somber expressions. "What? What's wrong?"

"I'm…not a princess…anymore."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm…a queen," Peach sniffled, beginning to cry.

"Your father didn't die…did he?"

"No," Peach said, breaking down.

"Bowser forced her to marry him," Zelda said in quiet anger.

"It was either that or watch you suffer!" Peach wailed.

"Ouch," Syrup winced, walking away. "Awkward…"

"Wow…brutal," Daisy said, biting her lip. "Um, let's move on out. The sooner we get this teleporter stuff done, the sooner we can head for Chai."

* * *

The drive to Birabuto, via Red Petal, was relatively quiet except for the hum of the engine. Zelda had insisted on turning off the music, which was just noise to her. The vehicle was able to pass over both land and water, so it eventually passed onto the beach and onto a road. It wasn't long before the area became more arid and desert-like. The ground became rocky and sandy, and the air seemed to be hotter and dryer. Daisy had agreed to drive slower for Zelda's sake, but felt that the mood was a little too tense. She decided to try and make some small talk.

"So, how do you like Sarasaland so far?"

"It's nice," Peach said distantly.

"Just as strange as every other place," Zelda added.

"It's a great place to get a tan," Daisy said, showing off her golden-brown arm. "It's a total pain to bleach my skin when I go to the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Why do you do it?" Peach asked.

"It makes me feel like I'm not a total outsider," Daisy replied. "I mostly just copy off of you. I felt totally out of place when I first visited at that tennis tournament, but that's the way I usually dress at home. Only now, when I visit your kingdom, I wear the big dress, the crown, the gloves, and the makeup."

"You don't have to do that," Peach said. "Treat my home like your own."

"Are those pyramids?" Zelda asked, looking at the horizon.

"Yeah, why?" Daisy said.

"It's just that…there's so many things in this world that I've only seen in books. It's like a strange fantasy land: flowers give one the power of fire, coins help one breath underwater…"

"And mushrooms make you bigger and stronger," Daisy added. The road had become a dirt road and the pyramids became more numerous. Daisy veered off the road and toward a particularly distant pyramid. As they neared it, they could see that it was the sort of pyramid that looked like a series of steps and had a flat top. A large wall was surrounding the inner part. It became apparent that the Red Petal was speeding up to get there faster. Daisy pressed a few buttons on the control panel a beep sounded.

"What was that?" Peach asked.

"A security code."

A panel rumbled open at the base of the pyramid. The car zoomed into the dark tunnel, with neon lights illuminating the darkness. It came out into a hangar, where dozens of military vehicles were stationed. Several Nokobons, essentially Koopas with bombs for shells, marched up to Daisy and saluted.

"We were expecting you, Your Majesty," the one in front said. "Are you ready to see the professor?"

"Lead the way," Daisy said, hopping out of the craft. As they walked through the base's chambers, both Peach and Zelda marveled at the impressive architecture. Most of the rooms were massive and had hieroglyphics on the walls. There were many other staff, some that looked oddly similar to the Mushroom Kingdom's variety, and others that looked completely different. There were occasional Pakkun Flowers popping out of pipes in the same way Piranha Plants would. At just about every door or entryway, there was a pair of Gao, sphinx-like tigers, acting as sentries. Eventually, they reached a huge room full of circular pads. There were giant spiders hanging from the ceiling, high above each pad. The lighting was relatively dim, letting them hide in the shadows. In fact, the only light was the calm glow emanating from the differently colored pads.

"Are those supposed to be there?" Zelda asked cautiously. She was speaking of the spiders hanging ominously on the ceiling.

"Those are the Suu," Daisy said. "Don't sweat over them. Just a little extra security." The Nokobons led them to a green pad and everyone stood on it. Zelda still felt uncomfortable standing under the Suu. They reminded her of Big Skulltulas, which hung in a similar fashion.

"Are you all ready?" a Nokobon asked.

"Totally," Daisy said for the others. The center of the pads turned black, leaving a green rim.

"It looks like a pipe," Peach said, looking at the familiar shape and color.

"The technology is based on warp pipe mechanics," a Nokobon said. The black area seemed to rise out of the pad and envelope them all. It reminded Zelda of something she had heard twice in this world so far.

"The darkness shall consume you," she whispered to herself. It was so dark, they could see absolutely nothing. It had indeed mimicked a warp pipe. When the black mist sunk back into the pad and the darkness disappeared, they were in a completely different room. The ceiling was extremely high up. The floor was made up of a series of stone platforms and metal catwalks, which connected to other stone platforms, doorways on the outer edge of the room, or the central platform. All that was below the platforms and catwalks was a black abyss. On the central platform, there was a blue ball of energy floating above a circle of control panels. The sandstone that made up the entire pyramid was blue from the light that radiated from the ball of energy.

"Ah, you're finally here!" a voice called. It was small old man, with a single tuft of white hair, a thick pair of glasses, and a lab coat. He stood on the other side of the room, beckoning them to approach the central platform.

"Everyone," Daisy said, "meet Professor Elvin Gadd."

"Thank you," he said. "I can take it from here, gentlemen." The three Nokobons gave a salute and exited through the teleporter. "Now, I hear that someone needs to use this magnificent creation of ours to get home."

"That would be me," Zelda said, gazing into the unstable ball of energy.

"Very well. Now, you wouldn't happen to know the dimensional and vector coordinates of your world, would you?"

Zelda looked somewhat confused as she said, "No…"

"Hmm."

"What's up?" Daisy asked. "Something wrong?"

"With coordinates," Gadd explained, "the teleporter would be able to send her home instantly. Now, we'll have to rely on tracing her energy signature to her home."

"Is that bad?" Peach asked.

"More like inconvenient," he said. "Since there are theoretically an infinite number of dimensions, its possible that she would never get home in her lifetime…May I ask exactly how did you get here?"

"I was sent here by mistake," Zelda said. "An evil sorcerer named Ganondorf attempted to send me to the Dark World, but a friend interfered and used her magic to alter the destination. According to Peach, I ended up in the Dark Land instead."

"Excellent!" Gadd said, relieved. "That means that our dimensions are relatively close. It is most likely due to the centralized position of this world. It is not difficult to travel to other worlds simply by using warp pipes. I believe your dimension is one of the exceptions though."

"What do you need to trace my energy signature?"

"If you would just step over to that panel and press your hand onto the imprint…" There was indeed a panel with a lit hand imprint on it. Zelda stepped over to it and did as told. "The computer will begin a search through the closest dimensions. It will know it is your home if your data appears on the screen."

"How long will this take?" Zelda asked.

"I'd say…a day or two."

"Peach," Zelda said. "I don't want to hold you from seeing your loved ones as soon a possible. Perhaps you should go on without me…"

"That's nice of you," she replied, "but I'm staying with you until you get home. Chai is the safest place they can be right now, right?"

"Right," Daisy agreed. "In the meantime, we can crash at my desert palace. Then, you can lose those awful clothes."


	20. Crazy Daisy

**Crazy Daisy**

Daisy was somewhat giddy about finally having someone come to her home, or at least one of them. It was as if she was about to have a schoolgirl sleepover. After her handmaidens bathed Peach and Zelda, she let them pick any clothing out of her wardrobe. Since it was Birabuto, all of the clothing had been made to be worn in the desert. Zelda chose a simple dress and cape, but she reattached her golden jewelry, nearly returning her to her former glory. Peach picked out a similar dress and put her jewelry back on as well. Her brooch fit perfectly. The only thing wrong with the two dresses, to Zelda and Peach anyway, was that they had Daisy's favorite colors: yellow, orange, and white. Peach's dress was mostly orange, but the hems of her sleeves and dress were white. Zelda's dress was mostly white except for the yellow cape. Daisy herself was in a yellow toga with an orange shoulder wrap and white armlets and sandals.

"Isn't this great?" Daisy beamed. "We all match."

"Yeah…" Peach said unenthusiastically.

"Great," Zelda added dryly.

Afterward, they all sat down to eat a meal prepared by Daisy's chefs. Much to the guests' surprise, it was mostly fast food, though Zelda had never seen this sort of food before.

"What is this?" Zelda asked, looking at the plates of pizza, fries, burgers, fried chicken, hot dogs, tacos, and other foods.

"Is this Chai-nese takeout?" Peach asked, forking a eggroll and picking up a fortune cookie.

"I know what I like," Daisy smirked. "So, this is what I have my chefs cook. It's healthier than what they give you at fast-food places, but tastes at least as good."

"Fast food?" Zelda said, picking up a fry.

"It's food that can usually be prepared in a short time," Peach explained. "It tastes great most of the time, but it's usually bad for you. Those are fries…as in fried potatoes."

"Oh," Zelda said, feeling more comfortable. She tasted the fry and was nearly overwhelmed by its salty goodness. "Oh, my! This is wonderful!" She scooped a pile of fries onto her plate and looked over the other food. "Is this sausage?" she asked, picking up a hotdog.

"Well, it is pork," Peach said, smiling now that she was enjoying her meal. "We call it a hotdog."

"Delicious!" Zelda sighed, after gobbling down the dog and burped. "Please excuse my horrible manners, but this food…it's as if it was cooked in heaven and passed down for us to eat. How long did this meal take to cook? It couldn't have taken any less than a full day, no matter how fast this food is. There are no burn marks or undercooked meat or anything of the sort. What sort of fire did you use?"

"Hmm…" Daisy thought. "I think it takes about 20 minutes to grill, fry, or bake all of it. As for the fire, we use gas and electricity."

"You can use electricity to cook?" Zelda exclaimed. "This really is a fantasy world."

* * *

Next, Daisy took her fellow royalty to her private chambers. Her room was big by any means. There was a round white couch covered in stuffed animals in front of a big-screen TV. A red-blanketed, queen-sized bed sat on the on the other side of the room from the door. There was a massive, cluttered dresser and vanity mirror. On the other side of the dresser, there was a desk and a very sleek, high-tech computer. At the side of the room opposite the TV, there was a row of tall, red-curtained windows. The carpeting was pink and the walls were white and covered with pictures and posters. Two other doors marked the entrances to a closet and a bathroom. 

"And you say you're a princess?" Zelda asked, looking at the messy room.

"I've got my own style, okay?" Daisy said, looking underneath her bed. "Now, something's been bothering me ever since I first saw you Zelda. I feel stupid now that I realize what's up." She pulled out a Gamecube and Peach instantly smiled.

"You have Ninetendo here!" Peach grinned happily.

"Yep. Anyway, Zelda, you look like a videogame character. And your name happens to be on the title of a whole series."

"What is a videogame?" Zelda asked.

"It's easier to just let you see for yourself," Daisy said, quickly connecting the system to her TV. "Does the Ocarina of Time ring a bell?"

"Yes. Yes, it does. But how…?" She instantly became quiet when she saw the polygonal intro of Link riding on Epona in Hyrule field as the title came onto the screen. "Oh…my…Goddesses! That's Link! And Epona!"

"Recognize the title?"

"She can't read our language," Peach said.

"Well, it says _Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time_," Daisy said.

"What's going on?" Zelda asked, baffled as to why her name was on it. Then, the teaser scene of Link and Nabooru in the Spirit Temple came onto the screen. Koume and Kotake appeared and blasted their magic at Nabooru and the screen went black. "It's just as he told me."

"Let's see if I can find a save with you in it," Daisy said, starting a game. As she played, Zelda was amazed by the nearly identical appearance of Hyrule. The only thing wrong, beyond graphical limitations of course, was the relatively small size of the videogame Hyrule. It only took about five minutes for Daisy to have Link trek all the way from the Lost Woods to Hyrule Castle Town across the field. Daisy eventually went into the castle and snuck Link into the courtyard.

"Our security is better than that," Zelda said, blushing. She had remembered all the times Link had made fun of how easy it was to sneak around castle guards. Then, as she heard the familiar lullaby, her ears perked up. Seeing her ten-year old self onscreen was overwhelming. "How is this possible? That was seven years ago…"

"In another world," Peach said, somewhat amazed.

"For someone who loves Nintendo so much," Daisy scolded, "I'm surprised you didn't make the connection sooner."

"Not all of us have time to play videogames all day…"

"Oh yeah, that's right. I don't get kidnapped every five minutes."

"Quiet you two!" Zelda said, listening to the music. It abruptly stopped as Daisy reset the game. "What are you doing?"

"Going to the fight with Ganondorf," Daisy answered casually. Sure enough, Link entered the tower and encountered Ganon and Zelda. "Isn't that you?"

"It can't be!" Zelda exclaimed. "But that's exactly what Link said happened!"

"So, you're the Zelda from the past, but grown up, huh?"

"Yes. Link came back to me after Ganondorf disappeared in my time, but was defeated in the future. But that future never came to pass since Link…Wait a minute…"

"Yeah, that's the main plot hole," Daisy said understandingly. "From what I figure, Link never actually did anything to Ganon in _your_ time. Old Ganny just didn't show up anymore and poof; that's the end."

"But it wasn't the end," Zelda said. "He came back. He's the reason why I'm in this world, though this is a blessing compared to where he meant to send me."

"Just curious…" Daisy began. "What happened to Link after that Majora's Mask deal? Did he find Navi?"

"Navi…" Peach muttered to herself, remembering the word.

"Did Link finally marry one of you?"

Zelda looked astounded and tried to compose herself. "After searching for a few years, Link stopped looking for Navi and returned to Hyrule. He visited all of us and was employed at Lon Lon Ranch." Daisy gave an expecting look, wanting the answer to her last question. "…No. He did not marry any of us…yet."

"So you _do_ have a crush on him! I knew it!" She got up and ran to her computer. "Exclusive info for my site!" As the machine quickly loaded up, she ran back to the system and turned it off.

"What are you doing?" Zelda frowned as Daisy put in a new game.

"I want to see you and Peach fight." She placed the controllers in their hands and scurried back to her computer.

"What?"

"It's another videogame," Peach explained. "Both of us are characters in it."

"You're in these things, too?" Zelda gaped. "What sort of magic…"

"I don't know about you," Peach said, "but I'm in it because my reputation is well-known throughout the world. There's an entire franchise based around me being kidnapped by Bowser and rescued by Mario. I have to admit, though…our portrayals in the games are eerily accurate."

"It's like a dumbed down version of the Zelda-series," Daisy added. "Both of you get kidnapped by some creep, and get rescued in the end by the same hero."

"That's Mario, right there," Peach said, as the trophy onscreen came to life.

"He looks a bit…plump," Zelda said, expecting a more fitting hero. Then, Link appeared and the screen broke into an image of Peach and then Bowser. A mural of various scenes from the Ocarina of Time adventure appeared and showed three gloved hands, each with a different mark of the Triforce. The image went through various other characters in action, including Zelda using Din's fire.

"Here he comes…" Daisy said giddily. The screen changed to a beautiful picture of Sheik playing his harp on a serene, star-filled night with crystal clear water and blue cliffs in the background. "There he is! Sheik's my favorite character. Isn't he hot?"

Zelda coughed uncomfortably, but marveled at the representation of Lake Hylia in the background. Peach made a look of passive, yet unenthusiastic agreement and said, "I've seen him myself. He saved me many times."

"What! He's real?" Daisy screamed excitedly. "Where is he? I just have to meet him! Is his butt really that cute?"

"Daisy!" Peach chided. "Now, you're the one who's forgetting! If the Zelda in the game is nearly the same as the one here, then you should know that Sheik _is_ Zelda, but in a magical disguise."

"She's right," Zelda said, still paying close attention to the screen. "Sheik and I share the same body."

Daisy became flushed. "So that totally hot bod is, like, totally yours?"

"Totally," Zelda said mockingly.

"But in the front, there's that…"

"Codpiece," both Peach and Zelda said in unison. When Daisy glanced at Zelda's chest, they said in unison, "Metal plate." There was an awkward silence as they let everything sink into Daisy, who had a deflated grimace on her face that used to be a smile.

"What-_ever_!" Daisy said, turning her nose up at her guests, who were holding back giggles.

While Peach taught Zelda how to play, Daisy typed away.

"I must say," Zelda marveled, "this games does a fairly good job of representing my abilities. Your representation seems accurate in terms of your fighting style…but most of your special attacks are strange…particularly your use of the mushroom retainer and that explosive attack."

"It's just a game, Zelda."

"And then, there's the way my character carries herself…Do I really look that moody all the time?"

"You are moody," Peach chuckled, "but not like that. I think that is based on the future Zelda. Different experiences make different characters. What do you think, Daisy? Daisy?"

"Alright, killer!" Daisy said, clicking the screen.

"What is that?" Zelda asked.

"Huh? Oh, this is called a computer. It's a machine that let's you do lots of cool things, like…uhhhh…make videogames or talk to people on the internet…That's a massive network of computers connected electronically across the globe."

"Okay," Zelda said, looking confused. "What's got you so excited?"

"I just finished a blog."

"It's like a diary placed on the internet for people to see," Peach explained. "She apparently has a website. Why didn't you ever tell me, Daisy?"

"Lots of stuff you wouldn't like on Crazy Daisy,"Daisy smirked mischievously.

Peach approached her and asked suspiciously, "Like what?"

"Well, I've got an entire section on you, for one thing. Hey, Zelda. Wanna see Peach's dirty little secret?"

"What secret?" Zelda asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Peach said, not amused.

"Did you ever go into her room and see a chair with a drawer underneath?" Daisy said, moving the mouse to a link called _Peach's Secrets_.

Peach winced at the mention of the spot.

"Yes," Zelda said, becoming curious. "She was quite insistent that I not look inside."

"Because there's nothing in there!" Peach said louder than she meant to. "We were in a hurry and…

"Nope," Daisy grinned. "What she's got isn't like her at all. She especially shouldn't have two of them, but I guess double the pleasure, double the fun…"

"It's only one…no!" Peach said without thinking. She clasped her hands over her own mouth.

"I think I understand," Zelda said, smirking at Peach. "I'd never expect you…"

"Don't get any ideas!" Peach said, steadily turning red until she seemed to glow with anger. "It's nothing! Just a messy drawer!"

"It's a nice, big, black…" Daisy began before her voice suddenly ceased to make any sound. She felt her throat and smirked, knowing what Peach had just done.

"What did you do?" Zelda asked, staring at Peach in surprise.

"Nothing," Peach pouted, turning off the computer.

"You're being awfully rude."

"She's the one smearing my name."

"Like, excuse me." Daisy said, able to speak once again. " It's totally not smearing if it's true. Why else would you use a Mute spell?"

"You've been holding back quite a bit of magical prowess, haven't you?" Zelda asked.

"Let's go play tennis or something!" Peach said in an overly cheerful fashion, completely changing the subject.

* * *

"Tell me," Zelda panted, standing next to Daisy with a racket in hand. "Is it normal to lose this badly when we outnumber the opposition like this?" She was dressed in a white shirt and tennis skirt. They were on a court just outside of Daisy's palace. They had played for a couple hours, even as the sun beamed down on them. It was already approaching the horizon. 

"This isn't even supposed to be fair," Daisy said, equally tired. "But Peach is just a beast when it comes to this game. Serve the ball so we can hurry up and lose." She was in her yellow shirt and orange shorts.

"Over here!" Peach taunted. Her hair was in a ponytail and she wore a short yellow dress. "Could you hurry up, please?"

Zelda tossed the tennis ball into the air and smacked the ball to Peach's side of the court. She promptly hit it back, but Daisy, who was at the net, hit it back. It came to the point that the ball was being volleyed back and forth between them at the net until Daisy missed a swing. Zelda lunged at the ball and hit it right where Peach wanted it.

"Aw, man!" Daisy moaned.

"Hmph!" Peach smirked, holding out her racket as the ball approached. Suddenly, she floated into the air and spun around, smashing the ball to the other side of the court in a blur of pink hearts. It made a near 90° angle and bounced inside the corner of the line and out of the court.

"Told you she was brutal," Daisy said, sinking to her knees. "She's like this in golf, too. She rules the tourneys."

"Perhaps Peach should take the racket and golf club with her in case there's another fight," Zelda said, falling into a sitting position. "Maybe she could be more like she is in that videogame."

"Ah, that was fun," Peach sighed, wiping her brow. "What's next?"

"Shopping spree!" Daisy called out.

* * *

They had shopped into the evening, placing most of the charges on Daisy's account. Daisy had prevented them from going to any of the more formal or elegant stores, instead choosing the more trendy stores. Both Zelda _and_ Peach were overwhelmed by the new and sometimes strange fashions. Zelda managed to find some durable brown leather shoes that would come in handy for long walks. Peach bought a pair of pink tennis shoes that matched her newly bought pink, sleeveless dress, both of which were appropriate for the desert air. 

"That was quite enjoyable," Zelda said, handing her bags over to one of Daisy's delivery cars that would take everything back to the palace. "However, why did you want us to dress in this new clothing?" She was in an oversized white t-shirt and blue jeans, clothing which was not familiar to her. The shirt was so big, it sagged past one of her shoulders.

"It's comfortable, isn't it?" Daisy asked. She had on baggy orange shorts and a yellow tube top over a black, see-through, long-sleeved shirt and stockings.

"Yes," Peach said, looking unsurely at her own outfit. It was only a small, buttoned, hot pink vest, leaving her belly exposed, and a long, black skirt with high slits on the sides.

"But why such peculiar clothing?" Zelda asked more directly.

"We're going to my favorite club in Birabuto," Daisy said, leading the way. After walking through the dusty streets, they came across a pipe, with a sphinx sitting next to it, reading her newspaper.

"Stop right there," the sphinx said apathetically, limply holding up her hand. "To enter this coolest of cool sanctums blah, blah, blah…you must answer a riddle."

"Your princess is ready and waiting," Daisy said confidently.

"Whatever. Not like you didn't give me half of this crap from your stupid website…" She suddenly stood up on her hind legs and folded her arms. "The best physical traits of the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom are her name…according to that poll you held on the web. What are they?"

"That doesn't make any sense," Zelda said, going into thought.

"I don't get it," Peach said. "How can a name be a physical trait? Does Sheik have any ideas?"

"Yes," Zelda answered uncomfortably. "But neither of us are willing to say it out loud."

"Then, you've probably got the right idea," Daisy giggled. "Do you give up?"

"Just say it already!" the sphinx growled, pushing her dark hair out of her empty eyes. "It's the easiest question in the world."

Daisy giggled once more and said, "Peach is a peach with a peach and a peachy peach."

"But peachy peaches don't grow in my kingdom…or in yours, either," Peach said, still confused. "They're delicious, but why would I carry one around for all this time."

"I suppose Sheik was right," Zelda said, looking somewhat disgusted.

"Whatever," the sphinx said, sitting down again. "Just get in."

When they hopped into the pipe, they landed on a conveyor belt that carried them to the main area. Everything was dark except for the colorful strobe lights and black lights. There were all sorts of people around dancing on the floor, eating at the tables on the outer edges of the room, or sitting at the bar. Much to Zelda's surprise, there was a decent number of humans about. The fast beat of loud techno music was startling to Zelda.

"What is this place?" she yelled over the music.

"This is the club, Sabaku," Daisy replied, moving toward the DJ. "I love this place."

"Ladies and gentleman," the DJ said in a smooth voice. "The life of the partay has just arrived. May I present Her Royal Highness…Princess…Crazaaay…Daisaaaay!"

"Wooooo!" she shouted amongst the cheering. She looked and saw Peach and Zelda standing around uncomfortably. She hopped down and the crowd parted for her.

"Must the music be so loud?" Zelda was covering her ears, and actually pulling them down.

"It's a party, you guys!" Daisy chided. "Peach, I know you can dance. Don't you remember all those parties Mario threw?"

"But that was different…" Peach said nervously, moving her arms into a cradling position.

"You've got the skill and you've got the body," Daisy said, manually moving Peach in time with the music. "So, shake it, girl!"

"I'm more of a ballroom dancer," Peach said, being jerked around awkwardly.

"The same goes for me," Zelda said. "And exactly how am I supposed to dance in this outfit?"

"It's free expression, Zel!" Daisy said. "Show me some of your fighting moves, but with the music's rhythm." When Zelda gave her a strange look, Daisy imitated some of the moves the videogame Zelda had used. There were low kicks, palm thrusts, slides, hand chops, and other random moves in time with the music. The crowd was cheering her on, so Zelda gave it a try.

"What have I to lose," she sighed. She took on her fighting stance and made her attacks quick and sudden. She chopped to the side, turned her head, raised her fist, slid her foot behind herself, and twirled backwards, pointing her finger in front of herself.

"Go, Zelda! Go, Zelda! Go, Zelda!" Daisy yelled. The crowd soon joined in cheering. Some were even copying her moves.

"This is rather fun," she smiled. "Come on, Peach. It's not so bad."

"I don't know what to do," Peach said insecurely.

"Just be yourself," Daisy said, dancing.

"Give it a try," Zelda said, twirling again. Peach hesitated, so Daisy grabbed her shoulders and moved them with the music.

"See, it's not so bad," she said.

"I guess," Peach blushed. Then, Daisy grabbed her hips and began to move them as well. "What are you…?"

"Gotta get you movin' some how," Daisy said, standing back as Peach moved on her own. "Hey, boys! Don't you think Peach has a peachy peach?" The guys in the crowd cheered and whistled.

The songs changed, and the party continued on into the night. Eventually, Zelda and Peach moved to the bar, where Daisy already was, surrounded by her entourage.

"So, then I ask 'where's that hottie, Sheik?' like an idiot and then they tell me she _is_ Sheik. I don't care if he _is_ a she; _he_ still has a cute butt…Oh, hey guys!"

"Hi, Daisy," Peach greeted, sitting down. "You were right. This really is fun."

"And the music isn't so bad once you get used to it," Zelda said. "But so much dancing makes one very thirsty."

"Hey, Willy!" Daisy called out to the bartender. "Get my fellow princesses, here, a few bracers."

"You got it, Princess."

"That isn't alcohol, is it?" Peach asked cautiously, as two glasses slid to her and Zelda.

"Loosen up, Peach!" Daisy laughed. "This isn't the first time you've had it. I mean, we're all, like, totally adults here, right?" Her followers agreed.

"More or less," Zelda muttered to herself. "Everyone's had a sip of wine before."

"This is more than just wine," Peach said, sniffing the drink.

"According to Super Mario RPG," Daisy said matter-of-factly, "you've had bracers, energizers, elixirs and megalixirs pretty regularly. And then there were those tonics in Paper Mario."

"Those were for medicinal purposes!" Peach insisted. Even Zelda had to laugh at that and drank her bracer.

"Mmm, this is pretty good. May I have another?"

"Zelda?"

"Drinks for everyone!" Daisy shouted.

"Just try it, Peach," Zelda said, downing another glass. "Daisy's bodyguards are hidden throughout the crowd. If anything happens, they'll take care of us. Just enjoy yourself. I have a feeling we won't have many more chances to relax like this together. Think of it as saying goodbye."

"You're right," Peach smiled. "What have I got to lose?"

_Note:_ _If you felt uncomfortable at least once during this reading, then you're normal. If you found absolutely nothing offensive about this, then youprobably have a weird sense of humorlike me._


	21. Into the Fray

**Into the Fray**

"Oh, dear Peach…" she heard a gentle woman's voice say. "You shouldn't have had so many sweets. Now you're sick… It's okay. Mommy will make it all better…" Everything became nice and toasty. Peach could see a smiling face of gentle blue eyes and golden locks.

Suddenly, a blinding light overwhelmed her vision and she closed her eyes. The warmth was still there, but something was not right. The moment she tried to turn over, a pounding headache struck her like a brick. She realized that she was in a bed, but she was not ready to move quite yet.

* * *

"Zelda," she heard a familiar voice say. "Didn't I say you'd make yourself sick? Don't worry. Impa's going to take care of everything…" Then, her ears began to perk from hearing the soothing lullaby by her name. Zelda was at peace upon seeing the face of her nursemaid and surrogate mother Impa.

The image soon faded into the darkness and she awakened with a piercing headache and stomachache. When she moved from under the covers and was met by blinding sunlight, she immediately put her head under her pillow.

* * *

After quite a while of squirming, Peach turned over, and Zelda looked from under her pillow, and they saw each other. Zelda gave her an "I told you so" look with a small smirk. Still in too much drowsy pain to be alerted about anything, they returned to their positions and remained still.

Eventually, Zelda sat up, using the covers as a shield from the light coming through the curtains. She could see a mound of stuffed animals piled onto the couch. Amongst them, she could see two legs in black stockings sticking on top and hanging over the side of the couch. "Daisy?" she said groggily.

Slowly, Daisy sat up out of the pile of stuffed toys and rubbed her eyes. "Oh…good morning Zelda," she yawned. She stretched and said, "That was one of the best times I've ever had. You and Peach seemed to have a great time too."

Peach spoke slowly, "I don't remember much after that first drink. Just lots of noise and…oooh, my head."

"I feel about the same way, Peach," Zelda said. "I remember a little, but…ugh. I remember it being fun at least."

"I remember everything," Daisy said, slowly standing up. "You guys should've had fun, especially after all those body shots."

"Body shots?" they both said.

"Man, you two need to get out more," Daisy chuckled. "Don't worry, I had the whole thing taped just in case something like this happened." She sat on top all the stuffed animals and dug out a remote control. She pressed a switch and the television came on. A few more presses of the button and the party came on.

"A device that records pictures and sound," Zelda sighed. "It never ceases to amaze me." The camera work was relatively well done since the camera did not shake often and it focused quickly. It showed Zelda, Peach, and Daisy all at the bar, drinking and talking. It showed Zelda downing the most drinks, while Peach sipped at a slower pace. Daisy was the median of the three. The tape fast-forwarded to a point where Peach was clearly tipsy, since she was swaying back and forth. Zelda was still downing many drinks, but seemed to be taking it relatively well. Daisy was in another crowd cheering and dancing.

"That's not so bad," Peach said, as the video fast-forwarded again.

It was then that they started to notice odd behavior. Peach was laughing an awful lot for no reason. Zelda looked overly thoughtful and was speaking in slurs. "You know wha' Peach? Zhere's sometin' I need to tell you. I've been actin' like a total bitch to you ever since I first landed in this land of Sarasasa…sarsa…and MUSHROOMS…Don't forget the mushrooms. Let's be honest; your chests are bigger than mines's. BUT DON'T THINK…don't think that you're better than me, CAUSE YOU'RE NOT! Even if your peachy peach is peachier than my ass, it doesn't mean NOTHING! But I still love you. I love everyone in here! Even that crazy daisy girl…"

"Awww, I love you two, Zelda," Peach said, staring straight ahead instead of to Zelda who was to the side of her. Then, she gulped down the rest of her glass and pounded it on the bar. She began to sway more until she accidentally banged her head on the bar and sat up. "Ow."

"You okay?" Zelda asked. Then, for no reason, they began to laugh. "Uh-oh. I gotta go to the loo. 'Scuse me." Zelda stumbled off-screen. Throughout the entire viewing, Daisy was giggling, while Zelda and Peach groaned at their drunken behavior.

It fast-forwarded and showed Daisy standing on a table amidst a crowd yelling, "Take it off! Take it off!" She pulled at her top and shirt and the screen suddenly went black.

"It looks like someone was trying to protect your reputation," Peach said.

"It'll show up on the internet anyway," Daisy shrugged, fast-forwarding. The picture returned and various pictures whizzed by until the screen went black again.

"Well, that's the end," Daisy said. "Nothing too bad, see?"

"Can you go back?" Zelda asked. "I thought I saw something."

The tape rewound to the point after the picture returned. There was nothing of particular note occurring until the camera zoomed in on Peach lying on a table with a lime in her mouth. Some salt was sprinkled onto her belly and Daisy could be seen cheering in the background. Zelda walked into view and stood over Peach. She licked off the salt, drank a shot glass, and ate the lime out of Peach's mouth. Then, before their mouths separated, they began to make out seconds before the television exploded.

"Hey, what's the big idea!" Daisy exclaimed. She looked back and saw an embittered Zelda with her smoking hand outstretched. "Jeeze! You were drunk and weird stuff happens when you can't think straight. It's no big deal."

"Excuse me, while I make a remedy for this hangover," Zelda said, forcing herself out of bed.

Peach blushed and checked under the covers. She hesitantly looked up and said, "Um, Zelda..."

Then, the Hylian stopped and closed her eyes irritably. "Daisy, where the HELL are my pants?"

Suddenly, the door swung open as security agents entered. "Princess…" They paused as all eyes turned to Zelda.

She groaned and was in too sour of a mood to even attempt to cover herself.. "You've never seen a girl in her underwear before?"

"What is it, guys?" Daisy said.

"We're relocating you to a safe location," the lead security agent said.

"Why? What's going on?"

"Bowser's sent an attack force to Birabuto Base 004. Heavy combat has already begun."

"That's where we went yesterday!" Daisy exclaimed. "Cancel my relocation! I'm taking Zelda there personally."

"Your Majesty, I can't let you…"

"Are you questioning me?"

"But it's for your safety, ma'am."

"Let me worry about that," Daisy said, getting up. "This is a bad day for a hangover, though."

"I can fix it," Peach said, glowing. "There. Feel better?"

"You're a miracle worker," Zelda said, rushing to put on her dress.

"You three," Daisy said to her security agents. "Have the Red Petal ready in five minutes." Then, she took one aside and handed him a CD, whispering, "Be sure everything on this CD is placed on my website, whether I come back or not. I got once in a lifetime footage of Peach making out with a girl, let alone with anyone at all."

* * *

They were all set. Peach had all her jewelry on, along with Gard Gloves, and a small brown knapsack full of food, supplies, and clothing. She wore her sleeveless, pink dress and tennis shoes. Zelda also wore her jewelry, a knapsack, and a modified form of her original dress, which had been repaired during her short stay in Sarasaland. It was thinner and duller, made more appropriate for traveling, and did not contrast with her leather shoes too much. Daisy wore an armored version of her dress with gold and platinum plating. She even wore her ruby red crown.

"Peach," Zelda said, as they stood outside the Red Petal. "You stay here where it's safe. I don't want you to get hurt."

"No, I want to make sure you get home safely," she said. "We'll see this through to the end. Princess, or Queen, to Princess."

"Princess to Princess," Zelda smiled.

"Let's do it to it," Daisy said, tightening her gloves.

They all hopped into the Red Petal and it's engines hummed to life. The craft blasted off into the horizon. Black smoke could be seen fouling the blue sky. Soon, distant explosions and cannon fire could be heard. Daisy veered off the road and up a sandy hill. At the peak of the hill, they stopped to see the massive battle below.

There were seemingly endless numbers of troops on the ground fighting. The ones far in the back were managing supplies and deploying vehicles. Some were armed with bazookas, while others had various melee weapons such as clubs, swords, lances, and hammers. All of them seemed to ignore their fallen comrades, but such was the way of the Koopa Troop. There were mutants and regulars mixed in as well as few new variations of monsters. There were plenty of oversized monsters, both regular and mutant, that were probably from Giant Land. Piranha Plants moved slowly, but used there long thorny roots to hold their ground. Pokeys towered above the field and constantly regenerated anytime they were damaged. They were all still a few miles away from the pyramid.

Further into the distance, there were vehicles rolling along, including the tanks that Bowser rarely used. They were long and wooden on the outside, but a few blasts from the opposition revealed their metal armor underneath. They were armed with multiple cannons that fired Bullet Bills, Bob-ombs, and the rarely seen Fire Chomps. They were unrestrained, floating metal balls with a tail of fireballs, narrow, evil eyes, a mouth of sharp teeth, though they were not as ferocious as their counterparts. The now super-sized Mecha Koopas, which looked nothing like Koopas, stomped across the field like mindless, clown-faced toys. Towering far above them were the three Mecha Bowsers. They were filled with hidden cannons and missile tubes, not to mention their flamethrower-like mouths. Their heavy armor made them slow, but blunted most of the damage they took and let them crush anything in their way. At the forefront of the battle, in the dusty, smoke-filled distance, part of a black metal Doomship could barely be seen.

"Everybody ready?" Daisy asked, revving the engine.

"Let's hurry before it's too late," Peach said.

"Goddesses, protect us," Zelda said, cupping her hands.

The Red Petal blasted down the hill and into the enemy force's rear. Daisy thought nothing of plowing through smaller soldiers that got in the way, but she steered clear of the mutants and larger enemies. She swerved around vehicles too hard for any projectiles to get a bead on her. A mutant Piranha Plant whipped its vine at the car, narrowly missing. The cross-eyed Mecha Koopas did not notice them zoom under their legs as they mindlessly marched ahead. The massive Mecha Bowsers, however, quickly noticed the fast hovercraft once it bypassed them.

"They're even bigger than the one I saw at Pinna Park," Peach said in awe as the ground shook from each step. Then, missile pods launched Bullet Bills from nearly every part of the mechs.

"Bet they couldn't do that either," Daisy frowned as the missiles locked onto the Red Petal. She drove for the next Mecha Bowser ahead and, driving around its feet, made the missiles explode on the legs. The Mecha Bowser caught sight of the Red Petal as it came from under it and blew a cloud of flame. Daisy activated the boost in time to dodge most of the flames, which glassed the ground.

"Careful," Zelda said, noticing the scorch marks on the backside.

"Raaarrrrgh!" a Giga Koopa roared, jumping onto the craft. It began to bash its fist on the glass.

"Natch," Daisy rolled her eyes. She spun the wheel, thus spinning the craft, and stomped on the brakes. The Giga Koopa was thrown off and the Red Petal accelerated once again. As they neared the Doomship, it became apparent that the fighting was more furious here. They began to see troops from the base fighting off the Koopa army. There were jets and saucers bombing the field and the Doomship.

"It's unbelievable," Zelda said, taking in the size of the airship. They had been flying under its shadow for quite some time. Many explosions were going off dangerously close to the Red Petal because of the surrounding chaos. A few stray shots occasionally bounced off the hull.

Daisy pressed a few buttons on the control panel and spoke, "This is Princess Daisy. I have Peach and Zelda and we are currently approaching the pyramid's outer wall. Requesting access."

"We are sorry, Princess," the operator replied. "The enemy's number is too great. Any opening we give will let them in and capture the base."

"Open it when we get within 10 feet of the wall and not a second earlier," Daisy ordered. "Have sentry drones and gun turrets fire on my position as soon as I'm within range of the base."

"What?" everyone exclaimed.

"I need something to take the heat off," Daisy explained. "This baby can outrun just about anything, but I don't want to compromise the base for it. Got that?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," the operator replied.

"How do you plan to outrun something that's in front of you?" Zelda asked.

"Let's find out," Daisy smirked, driving straight for the wall. There were various skirmishes about, but some of the better-armored creatures were getting near the wall. In particular, the Spikeys, which were Spinies in heavy armor, and the furious Giant Wigglers, oversized caterpillars, were charging through much of the gunfire. Daisy plowed right through or under them all and began to draw fire from the robot guards and guns at the hidden entrance. She held down the boost button and actually sped past the trajectory of the gunfire, while still smashing through scattered enemies. A beeping sound began to go off in the cockpit.

"That can't be good," Peach said.

"That's the energy giving out," Daisy said casually. "Keeping the boost on kinda drains the battery."

"Insanity," Zelda sighed. It looked as if they were about to smash into the wall when it suddenly slid open. It shut just as they entered the long tunnel to the hangar. Everyone let out a sigh of relief as it slowed to a stop in the near-empty hangar. A Chichibo scuttled into the room to greet them.

"Please, follow me!" he said. They followed him through several rooms. Eventually, they were running through a large hall full of soldiers scrambling to get supplies. Suddenly, the pyramid began to rumble continuously. Everyone stopped to look at the monitors, which showed the giant Doomship crashing into the ground and stirring up a cloud of dust and sand in the resulting explosion. The soldiers all began to cheer.

"Yeah, that'll show those jerks who they're messing with!" Daisy said. Then, everyone gasped as three equally sized Doomships came into view from different sides of the base. "You've gotta be kidding me!" As their first attack, they each shot a Banzai Bill. The combined force of the super missiles striking the upper part of the pyramid, shook the entire area.

"We must hurry!" the Chichibo squealed, running to the end of the hall. The ceiling of the hall collapsed the doorway right in front of the Chichibo. "Oh, dear! That was the fastest way to the lab!"

"DANGER! DANGER!" the intercom computer said. "Structural integrity has been compromised on levels 5, 3, 1, B1, and B4. Threat of enemy invasion has increased by 52."

"Where do we go now?" Zelda asked.

"The lab is on B4," the Chichibo said. "We may already be too late."

"Answer the question!" Daisy yelled.

"Well…there are two other ways to get there." A monitor lowered itself and displayed a map of the base. "There is a maintenance shaft on level B1 that will take you directly to the lab if you can navigate the pipes. But the furnace, cooling, and plumbing system makes the area quite hazardous."

"What's the other way?" Daisy asked.

"Take the outer wall on level 3 all the way to the north end and there will be an elevator to the lab. Of course, the outer wall is currently involved in heavy combat. It will be extremely dangerous..."

"The teleporter is the best way out of this mess," Daisy said adamantly. "Peach, Zelda, both of you need to use it. Zelda can go home and Peach can go to Chai. Pick your route and, like, be careful. And one of you soldiers…get us some weapons."

_Note:_ No, Daisy is not out on a Peach smearing campaign. She's just trying to get hits on her site.


	22. Big Birabuto Battle

**Big Birabuto Battle**

Daisy dropped into the dark maintenance tunnel. She clicked on the flashlight on her Super Scope. It was a weapon that resembled a sleek, gray bazooka that was about the size of an assault rifle. The tunnel was narrow, but big enough for her to stand upright. She flashed the light around and took note of damp air.

"It's all clear Peach," she echoed. The pyramid rumbled slightly and Peach fell into the tunnel on her head.

"Ow!"

"I think we're going to run into the water pipes first. Like, turn on your light or whatever and follow me."

"Did you really have to give me a gun?" Peach asked, switching on the light. It was on a large black and silver ray gun.

"Lighten up, Peach. It's just for protection. You never know what might pop out."

"Piranha Plants?"

"Well, Pakkun Flowers, actually, but I'm not even talking about them. Suppose a few Spinies get in here. A few shots from these and they're totally turtle soup." After walking forward quite a distance, Daisy came to a stop at three holes in the floor. She knelt down and felt the air from each one. Suddenly, Peach ran into her and inadvertently knocked Daisy into the center hole. "Whoooaaaa!" her voice echoed.

"Oops, sorry!" Peach said, shining her light into the hole, which was a pipe. "I'll be down in a second."

"NO! Don't come down here. Seriously, this is the wrong way…Where's that stupid map? Okay, how can I make this simple? You need to go through the pipes depending on the way the air coming from them feels."

"Okay?" Peach said, not sure if she caught all that.

"The path you need to take is…uh… cold, damp, cold, hot, cold, hot, damp, cold, and hot, for sure. And try not to hurt yourself or whatever."

"What about you?"

"I'll get there. Count on it. You just focus on getting out of here. Tell you the truth, the water areas really reek! Like, Putrid Pakkun city!"

"Piranha," Peach corrected. "Be careful." Then, she wondered about Zelda.

* * *

Zelda quietly stood alongside the other soldiers as the elevator took them up to level three. They could all hear the battle outside through the walls. At her request, Zelda had been given a sword, bow, and a quiver of 30 arrows. The other soldiers, who were a mix of Nokobons, Toads, and humans, were fully equipped with fatigues, combat boots, helmets, Super Scopes, and ray guns. 

"Zelda," Sheik spoke mentally. "Perhaps I would be more suitable for this task. From the look of things, it seems you'll need to be ready to dodge quite a bit."

"No, thank you," Zelda replied mentally. "There is too much to dodge, even for your skill. Nayru's Love will have to do…Besides, I feel I've been relying on you too much."

"It's the least I can offer," Sheik said hesitantly. "Especially after that incident last night."

"I drank too much," Zelda said dismissively. "It was my fault that we were both inebriated as a result."

"It is my fault for…"

"It's gonna' get nasty out there, boys," barked a Toad with white ring patterns on his black hat. "This princess isn't used to this kinda combat, so keep an eye on her. Shoot what ya can."

The elevator came to a stop and chimed, "Level Three, Southern Outer Wall." Everyone readied their guns and Zelda raised her unsheathed her sword as the doors opened. The immediate rush of smoke and ash was almost suffocating.

"Move! Move! Move!" the Toad ordered. Everyone jogged out as a Bullet Bill exploded a short distance away. Zelda followed the soldiers ahead of her while looking over the wall. The battle had intensified. The Birabuto army had been pushed back quite a bit and the Koopa army was steadily making headway. The three unusually large Doomships were playing a large factor. The sheer number of cannons and Bullet Bill Blasters were overwhelming. New threats on the field were also making a difference. The strange bolted Bob-ombs she had encountered in the Mushroom Kingdom were being catapulted closer and closer to the outer wall, quickly wearing down the base's defenses. Though one Mecha Bowser had fallen and the Mecha Koopas were crumbling into scrap metal, the remaining Mecha Bowsers were dangerously close to the wall. Burrowing Piranha Plants were ambushing soldiers from below ground and occasionally spitting fire. In fact, one green breed emerged right in front of the wall and draped its thorny vines over the wall.

"Watch it!" a nearby Fly soldier said, holding Zelda back. His wings buzzed and he flew up to the plant and shot at it with his ray gun. Annoyed by the shots, the Venus Fire Trap caught the Fly in its jaws in one snap and gobbled it down. All of the soldiers stopped to fire since its vines were blocking the way. It roared and spat a massive ball of fire that blasted many soldiers clear off the wall. It shrieked at a sudden pain and found Zelda chopping the vines away. She hopped over the remaining vines as it dunked its head where she had stood, leaving an indentation in the floor.

"Vile thing!" she said under her breath. It continued to snap at her and began to chase her alongside the wall. After a few seconds of hearing it slam its vines behind her, she turned and shot her Shining Ray into its mouth. It's head exploded instantly and the vines slipped off the wall.

"Aaaaaah!" screams came as several soldiers sailed over the wall from the blast of a catapult-propelled Bob-omb. She stopped to spot the location of the catapult and took out her bow.

"Hey, kid!" a human soldier called out. "Hurry up and get outta here!"

Zelda looked back at the catapult. It was not being loaded, but it was being pushed forward. She groaned, put away her bow and ran forward. Suddenly, she saw ladders begin to appear along the side of the wall. She peeked over the side and saw Birabuto soldiers scrambling up the ladders in a panic. They were being overtaken by Giga Koopas and…

"Shamans?" Zelda gasped. They were dressed in dark-colored robes, yet still had those haunting yellow eyes as the only thing visible under their hoods. They carried no weapons, but then, they did not have to. With a Crystal spell, one Shaman broke the bones of soldiers by shattering crystals on them. Zelda went to one of the ladders to help. She grabbed onto the arm of a Nokobon who was making his way up. Giga Koopas had already dragged his compatriots off the ladder. He was just out of their reach, but they began to climb the ladder.

"Diamond Saw!" a Shaman called out. A pair of buzz saws appeared and flew away from one another. Zelda managed to pull the Nokobon halfway up the wall, but he suddenly cried out in pain. She pulled the upper-half of his body over the wall and jumped back in terror. The other half had fallen to the ground after being sliced off. Again, something was very wrong with the already upsetting image of a body that had been sliced in two. Even still, she could not place what the anomaly was that had bothered her ever since she had first arrived in the world. The wall rumbled as a line of Bullet Bills exploded into the wall. Zelda stumbled back and a Giga Koopa climbed onto the wall.

"Oh, no you don't!" Zelda said, using her Shining Ray to blast it back over the wall. When she saw other enemies beginning to climb the wall, she began to run.

"The Koopas are on the wall!" a soldier in the distance cried. When a Shaman confronted her, it summoned a Lightning Orb and flung it at her. She used her shield to bounce it elsewhere and fired another Shining Ray. The Shaman did not seem to be much affected by it and used Diamond Saw. She ducked under the spinning blades as they passed over her at the same time. She ran at the Shaman and slashed him across the chest with her sword.

"Ah!" He disappeared in a puff of smoke. Feeling somewhat tired from using so many Shining Rays, Zelda broke into a run again, slashing at enemies as she passed them. She could see the Bob-ombs flying through the air and smashing into uncomfortably close sections of the wall. A Mecha Bowser smashed into the wall, some distance down Zelda's path, and opened its doors on the sides. To Zelda's horror, two Dinolfos stepped out, armed with swords. She took out her bow and arrow and picked them off as best as she could. Suddenly she was electrocuted from behind and briefly engulfed by an electrical dome. She turned around and saw several Shamans and Giga Koopas moving toward her. She shot her arrows at the Shamans, taking them out one by one. She heard a roar from behind and about-faced in time to block a sword strike by a Dinolfos with her bow. She was surrounded and feeling somewhat helpless.

"Zelda, duck!" Daisy's voice called. She dropped to the ground and a large ball of plasma energy blasted the Dinolfos over the wall in flames. "Motor on over here!" Zelda followed the sound of her voice but could not see her anywhere. As the Shaman began to prepare more spells, she was yanked toward the Mecha Bowser by an unseen hand.

"Daisy?"

"Don't try to see me 'cause I'm, like, totally invisible. It won't last long though." As they moved along the edge of the wall and past the searching cannons of the Mecha Bowser, the cloaking device gave out and Daisy was visible. "You are so lucky I got lost…" They broke into a run past the other soldiers and enemies fighting.

"Where's Peach? Weren't you supposed to be with her?"

"Hopefully, she's where I told her to go. You are _really_ behind, ya know that?"

"Well, I…"

"Hold that thought." Daisy charged the Super Scope and shot the Mecha Bowser in the mouth after it had turned to look at them. It gulped down the plasma shot and its head exploded, causing the whole thing to fall back, crushing some of the enemies behind it. "Now, just keep moving." As they ran forward, Daisy let the Super Scope continuously fire small, yet penetrating plasma shots. Even the Giga Koopas were having trouble just moving while the shots pounded into them. It ran out of shots just as they reached their destination.

"Okay," Daisy said, pressing the elevator button. "This is it." The doors opened and a broken cable could be seen. "Aw, man!"

Zelda frowned and hopped into the shaft. Daisy could see sparks fly as Zelda slowed her descent with her sword.

Daisy saw a Banzai Bill slowly flying straight for the wall from far away in the distance. She looked down into the shaft and yelled, "Tell Sheik its totally okay if he wants to look up my dress. I don't have anything else to lose right now." She looked back outside once more and thought she saw a falling star. But since the Banzai Bill was so close, she hopped into the shaft.

* * *

Peach slogged through the knee-deep water of a large, dark pipe. Fortunately for her, there _had_ been Pakkun Flowers that pointed her in the right direction. She was more or less soaked since she had had to swim through one of the earlier pipes. She was mostly dreading the cold and hot areas she would be going to. The previous cold areas had been frigid and full of ice. The hot areas seemed as if they would cause her to burst into flames from touching the metal walls and flooring. As she walked through the water, she noticed the temperature dropping, yet she saw no other pipes. She stopped and flashed her light around. There were icicles hanging straight ahead. She frowned and continued to walk through the increasingly cold water, even as the pyramid began to rumble more violently. 

Slowly, the water became shallower, yet the air got colder. She was already shivering, especially since she was wearing clothing made for the desert. As the water level became below her ankles, she heard a peculiar noise echo behind her. She turned and could see the shadows of small, shelled creatures crawling along the ceiling. She quickened her pace.

"Yaaaaah!" she yelped as she slipped and fell. The slight slope forward slid her down a hill and into a pipe with a red glow emitting from it. The narrow pipe grew warmer as she slid further down. Eventually, she came out onto a grated platform. What little water that had been coming out of the pipe was trickling into a pool of boiling water down below. She was somewhat relieved when she saw that the grated platform led all the way across the room to an actual door marked _Maintenance-Lab._

She walked calmly to the door until a giant Piranha Plant smashed through the ceiling and through the grated floor. Its weight was enough to bend the grating inward so that Peach tripped and slid into the hole. She gripped onto the grating before she fell into the boiling water with the Piranha Plant, which was now more like a steamed vegetable. Her gun, however, fell out of her hand and into the water. She pulled herself up and climbed back to the pipe. A trio of Giga Parakoopas with demonic wings flew into the room and spotted her. She was completely vulnerable hanging onto the grating. The Giga Parakoopas retracted into their shells and Peach closed her eyes as they flew at her. There was a familiar popping sound and the sound of Giga Koopas crying out in pain below. Peach opened her eyes as she was picked up and flown to the door.

"Mario?" she asked her savior.

"Actually, it's me, Luigi," he replied. He had on his familiar yellow cape. He dropped her off at the door. "Looks like we got here in the nick of time."

"How did you get here?" Peach asked as they entered the door.

"He caught a ride with me," Geno said, leaning against the inner doorway. "I…agh!"

Peach had suddenly grasped him in a hug. "I'm so glad to see you! I was almost afraid you didn't make it!"

"Okay, that's enough," he chuckled. "It just so happens that wood floats in water, but I had to do a lot of swimming. I made a few calls and made sure you and Zelda were okay. I also got into contact with Luigi elsewhere in Sarasaland."

"We'd better get out of here," Luigi said, pushing them through the door. "This place could fall apart any second." They walked into the lab and found it in bad shape. Many of the platforms were hanging by a wire or otherwise unstable. The ball of energy in the center seemed to be stabilizing on an image, though it blinked on and off occasionally.

"Where are Daisy and Zelda?" Peach asked worriedly.

They heard a small explosion on the other side of the room and saw Zelda and Daisy walk out of the elevator shaft. They waved and easily walked to the center platform. While Zelda waited there, staring into the portal, Daisy hopped across a few platforms onto another large one.

"Guys, hurry over here!" she called. Peach chose to float directly to her. Luigi flew. Geno made sure-footed jumps across the dangerous platforms. The last one he hopped off of snapped and fell into the abyss. "Hi, Luigi!" Daisy said suddenly with a beaming smile.

"Uh, hi Daisy," Luigi said nervously. He always felt uncomfortable whenever she made a smile like that. Doing it at a critical time like this was distressing.

"Is the portal ready?" Peach asked.

"I'm not sure," Daisy said. "I don't think it's supposed to blink like that."

"It's probably still stabilizing," Geno said. Suddenly, half of the center platform broke off and fell into the abyss. The portal warped and bent and looked as if it was breaking up. Geno leapt onto the center platform and took out his arm cannon.

"What are you doing?" Zelda asked, still startled by the partial collapse of the platform.

"I'm certain that was the power supply," he said, charging his beam. It fired directly into the portal, which began to stabilize again. "This should be enough to get you home."

"What about the others?" Zelda asked.

"It's impossible to reset the portal at this point," he said under gritted teeth.

Zelda became alarmed and turned to the others. "Everyone, please come with me to Hyrule! It's your only chance to escape!"

"One at a time!" Geno said, straining to maintain the beam. "The platform is not safe enough to hold everyone. But please, hurry!"

"Peach, you're first," Daisy said, taking Luigi's arm. "Me and Luigi will go together, right Weegie?"

"Uh, sure," he said as she yanked him closer. More Giga Parakoopas swooped into the room and flew straight for them. "Better hurry, though. We've got company." He crouched and charged up his energy. When one of the monsters got close enough, he rocketed toward it, thoroughly knocking it out and into the abyss. He stopped in midair and attempted to hold off the other monsters. For the first time, Zelda and Shiek had seen the Giga Koopas actually being fended off well. It was as if this man had done this sort of thing many times before. He bounced on many of them consecutively, clipping their wings and ensuring their demise. He spun them around by their tails and tossed them into each other. For the first time, Zelda and Shiek could actually see some semblance of fear in the mutants, fear of this awkward, nervous, easily terrified man.

Peach jumped and floated to the center platform. The platform leaned a bit from her added weight, so she quickly stepped over to the portal with Zelda. Stone from the ceiling smashed into the edge of the platform, breaking it off. More parts of the ceiling began to fall as the pyramid continued to rumble. Luigi was forced to fly Daisy off the platform, which was smashed by more stones. The mutants who had not been sent into the abyss by the either the green Mario Brother or falling pieces of the ceiling, decided to make a quick getaway before it was too late.

"Thanks for saving me, Weegie," Daisy cooed.

"Heh, sure thing," Luigi chuckled nervously. The center platform was beginning to bend and more pieces were falling off.

"What are you waiting for!" Geno yelled.

"What about you all?" Peach asked worriedly.

"Don't worry about us, Peach!" Daisy shouted. "Zelda'll take care of ya! Now, get the lead out!"

"Are you ready?" Zelda asked, holding out her hand. Peach hesitantly nodded and glanced to her friends once more as they stepped into the portal.

"Now, you two!" Geno yelled to Luigi and Daisy. "Hurry before…Aaaaaaah!" Before they could get there, Geno and the platform completely collapsed into the abyss.

"Oooh," Luigi moaned as his flight was giving way. "This looks bad."

"Well…at least we go out with…with…" Daisy struggled to find the right words as the gravity of the situation sank in, both figuratively and literally. They finally touched down on small remnant of a pillar, but it was obvious the entire pyramid above them was crumbling. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she smiled and said, "…At least I get to be with my favorite plumber."

"Oh…" Luigi said, finally understanding as she hugged him and closed her eyes while the ceiling completely caved in.

_Note:_ This is the end of Unlikely Allies. Thank you for sticking around this far. I know this ending seems kind of sudden, but the next part is in the Zelda section of this site. If you'd like to keep up with the story, check there or under my pen name. Stay on the lookout for Princess to Princess: Sage Revival. And I'd just like to thank Nintendo for making this easy by giving me so many underdeveloped characters and mini-plots to work with. And readers, if you're worried about me totally abandoning the Marioverse...don't worry, the parallelism will remain.


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